Ke Alaka'i - April 2019

A P R I L 2 0 1 9 ¡ Vo l u m e 1 2 2 : I s s u e 5

THE LEADER

Culture Issue

Page 18 Unity in tragedy: Reactions to the New Zealand shootings

Page 44 Women say how they style their hair is part of culture

Page 56 Students from Myanmar help translate Book of Mormon into Burmese

APRIL 2019 • VOLUME 122 • ISSUE 5

ADVISOR

LeeAnn Lambert MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISTS

Mackenzie Beaver Tomson Cheang Geena De Maio Elijah Hadley Esther Insigne Will Krueger Haeley van der Werf Emi Wainwright J. Eston Dunn Alyssa Odom PHOTOGRAPHERS

Chad Hsieh Ho Yin Li Teva Todd

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Brooklyn Redd Anuhea Chen COPY EDITORS

Dani Castro Bruno Maynez Noah Shoaf VIDEOGRAPHERS

Blake Ellertson Diandra Mongan Shannon Crowley ART & GRAPHICS

Michele Crowley McKenna Locken ART DIRECTOR

Lynne Hardy MANAGING EDITOR

Emily Hancock

NEWS CENTER

BOX 1920 BYUH LAIE, HI 96762 PRINTER

Pr int Ser vices Editorial, photo submissions & distribution inquiries: k e a l a k a i @ by u h . e d u .

To s u b s c r i b e t o t h e R S S F E E D or to view additional ar ticles,go to k e a l a k a i . by u h . e d u

CONTACT

Email: kealakai@byuh.edu Phone: (808) 675-3694 Fax: (808) 675-3491 Office: BYU–Hawaii Aloha Center 134 ON THE COVER: Students Justin and Serena Ioane hold their 6-month-old son. Justin is from Samoa and Serena is from Mongolia. They talk about intercultural marriage in a story on page 36 and share while there are challenges, the blessings of marriage outweigh them.

Photo by Teva Todd

ABO UT US

The Ke Alaka‘i began publishing the same year the university, then called Church College of Hawaii, opened. It has continued printing for more than 60 years. The name means “the leader” in Hawaiian. It began as a monthly newsletter, evolved into a weekly newspaper, then a weekly magazine, and is now a monthly news magazine with a website and a social media presence. Today a staff of about 25 students works to provide information for BYU–Hawaii’s campus ohana and Laie’s community. © 2019 Ke Alaka‘i BYU–Hawaii All Rights Reserved 2

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P H OTO SU BMISSIO N “This photograph was taken in June 2014,” says Sam Merrill, a junior biology major from Alaska. “My family and I used to live in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. During the summer, we took a vacation over to Oman. We were in a small village at an animal souk when I took this. Basically, an animal souk is a place in which sellers present their livestock to potential buyers. I wanted to get some stellar portraits of the men who were there since they were so neat looking. I figured if I walked around and complimented some beards and held up my camera hinting I would like to take a picture of their good lookin’ beards, I would get someone who was open to having their picture taken. This man’s reaction was great. He was so extremely open and loved that I loved his beard - and look at his eyes. They glistened like gold.”

Share your photo with us and we may feature it in our next issue. E-mail us your high-resolution photo with a caption at kealakai@byuh.edu

F O L LO W U S AR O U ND THE WE B

KE A LA KA I.BYUH.EDU

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Contents March 08

Ask the Professional with Tevita Ka’ili

10

Empower Your Dreams judges say it is more about personal growth than $$$

14

The popularity of SPAM and how to cook it

16

Psychology senior to speak at April 2019 graduation

18

Unity in tragedy: Aftermath of the New Zealand shootings

On the cover Intercultural marriage Campus couples share challenges, what they have learned and the blessings of marriage

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Highlights Ask the professional

Christchurch shootings

Dr. Tevita Ka’ili says culture is co-created, shared, learned and patterned by humans

Students share their feelings about tragedy in New Zealand, healing through acts of unity

08

18

40

44

Education’s power Alumnus Christopher Udall starts vocational schools for Jordanian youth recruited by ISIS

Hair and culture African-American students say their hair styles are an expression of their culture

Campus Comment:

20

Big Island artist focuses on nativism

22

Local reactions to the Venezuelan crisis

24

David Keala, the man behind Farmer’s Market

27

Students share the importance of the campus Flag Circle

29

Alumni Rice Love business sells bags and feeds people

32

Experiences at the BYU Jerusalem Center

36

Gospel culture unites intercultural marriages

40

Diffusing anger in the Middle East with education

44 46

Hair and culture

50

Miracles guide student from Myanmar to BYUH

53

The April 2019 General Conference at a glance

54

Finding the Church as Buddhists in Mongolia

56

Translating the BofM into Burmese

54

Learning to index for temple centennial

Piglets change the lives of people in Philippines

What are the benefits of attending a culturally diverse university?

Pandora Aiulu, a freshman from

Samoa majoring in political science, said, “I am so grateful to be surrounded by so many cultures. Being a Polynesian, BYU–Hawaii feels like home while at the same time I am able to learn about and see many different ways of living life.”

Yash Ravindra, a freshman from

Malaysia studying marketing, said, “Diversity helps me to better understand the world. In my first semester here at BYU–Hawaii, my perspective, thoughts, and opinions have changed in a positive way because of all my interaction with people from different cultures.”

Jaylea Ho, a junior from Hong

Kong studying TESOL, said, “Having roommates from different cultures has been a challenge and a blessing. I learn new ways of life and how to accept it. It is also a great place to be if you are an English learner because you can speak to native speakers every day. Also if you want to learn a different language from around the world, you can easily find someone who speaks it in this school.”

Useong Park, a freshman from Korea studying computer science, said, “It’s my first semester here, and I learned a lot about different cultures at Culture Night. It was amazing. I am making friends from different cultures and it helps me to learn more.”

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Letter from the co-editor Growing up primarily in the mainland United States, with my mom being from Maui and my dad from Taiwan, I experienced being brought up in the fusion of their cultures with American influences. We moved from place to place and traveled here and there, which gave me the opportunity to be exposed to even more cultures.

One of the distinct things about BYU–Hawaii is the unique diversity of cultures of students, faculty and staff. Typically when we think about culture, we immediately think of countries around the world. It wasn’t until I came to this university when I realized there’s more to culture. In addition to geographic cultures, our family, social, spiritual and business cultures have brought unity amongst us. All of our cultures together have brought intense, enlightening and uplifting conversations, debates and humanitarian projects, which is amazing.

In this issue of Ke Alaka‘i, culture is defined and expanded (Ask the Professional p. 8), concerns are brought up about patriotism for people’s home countries (flag raising p. 27), and many alumni share how they have gone forth to serve cultures including and beyond their own (Rice Love p. 29, Rebuild for Peace p. 40, Pigs for Prosperity p. 46).

We’ve also emphasized the unity of cultures. Unity through tragedy (Christchurch p.

18) and crisis (Venezuela p. 22). Unity of couples’ fusion of their own cultures in marriage (intercultural marriage p. 36).

Seeing how fearlessly and proudly everyone talked about their experiences, putting this issue together has continued to help me embrace who I am and how I was raised. As BYUH President John Tanner said in his Pacific Pondering from March 25, “In order to love our neighbors ‘as ourselves’ we must understand them as we do ourselves … This is a good time to celebrate our diversity and our unity. A good day to resolve anew to love our neighbors as ourselves.” I hope as you read this issue you’ll have a similar feeling of excitement for who you are while learning about your neighbors. •

- Co-editor

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Campus and Community

ASK THE PROFESSIONAL

w

Dr. T ēvita Ka'ili holds artifacts. Photo by Chad Hsieh and graphics by Michele Crowley

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BY MACKENZIE BEAVER

“Culture emerges from the complex intersection of humans, histories and environments, both physical and social.”

He wrote “Marking Indigeneity.” Photos by Chad Hsieh

Tēvita O. Kaʻili, a cultural anthropology associate professor, takes his students back in time. Dr. Kaʻili is the dean of the Faculty of Culture, Language and Performing Arts. He is also an author.

How would you define culture?

“Culture encompasses all the human configurations of time-and-space, knowledge, signs, symbols, languages, stories, narratives, discourses, texts, histories, arts, sciences, rituals, performances, practices, behaviors, beliefs, values, ideologies, social systems and materials. Culture is co-created, shared, learned and patterned by humans.

“It entails materiality (objects, artifacts, technologies, foods), ideology (systems of ideas, beliefs), performativity (performances, music, dances), and narratively (stories, languages, systems of symbols). Culture emerges from the complex intersection of humans, histories and environments, both physical and social.”

What does culture mean to you?

“Culture is significant because it defines us as humans. Human identity is based on culture, meaning it is derived from culture, and human time-space is arranged by culture. Culture has a profound influence on human thinking and actions. Humans are cultural beings. Thus, all humans have cultures.”

What exactly is cultural anthropology?

“Culture anthropology is the interdisciplinary study of the cultural dimensions of humanity in all times and spaces. As an interdisciplinary field, cultural anthropology entails both the humanistic and scientific study of all cultural aspects of humans and their environments.”

Why do we have Culture Night?

“Culture Night is a grand celebration and veneration of the diversity and complexity of cultures at our university. It provides the timeand-space for students to share their cultures and learn from one another. As a BYUH student in the 1990s, I performed in several Cultural Nights.”

When you see Culture Night as an anthropology professor, what do you think?

“Cultural Night is an elaborate ritual of paying homage to our ancestors who created our cultures and acknowledging the innovations, changes, and fluidity within our cultural performances. It is a wonderful event for identifying, sharing and learning cultures.

I give my anthropology students extra credit for participating in Culture Night.”

How can we be more sensitive to others’ cultures?

“Learning about the history and meaning of culture is the first step. From learning comes understand that will lead to appreciation and deep respect for all cultures. One way to start your learning of culture is to take certain university courses. In the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts, we offer several courses in the areas of culture, such as Hawaiian Studies, Pacific Islands Studies, Asian Studies, History, Languages, Intercultural Peacebuilding, Music, Theatre, Humanities, and Cultural Anthropology. I invite all students to take courses from our faculty.”

Along with teaching and being a dean

of a faculty, Dr. Tēvita Kaʻili has also

written books. One of his books is “Marking Indigeneity: The Tongan Art of Sociospatial

Relations” (University of Arizona Press, 2017).

He said, “This book critically examines

Tongans in Maui, Hawaiʻi, and their cultural arrangement of tā and vā, time and space, through the art of tauhi vā, sustaining

harmonious social relations in the mutual

performance of fatongia (cultural obligations).”

His other book is “Ko e Ngaahi ʻAta

mei he Hisitōlia mo e Kalatua ʻo Tongá : Ke Tufungaʻi ha Lea Tonga Fakaako” [Images from the History and Culture of Tonga: Towards Creating a Tongan Academic

Language] (Co-authored with ʻOkusitino

Māhina and ʻAnapesi L. Kaʻili; Centre for

Pacific Studies, University of Auckland, 2006).

In relation to this book, he said, “It

explores aspects of Tongan history and culture.

The authors argue for the need to create a

Tongan academic language to perpetuate and vitalize Tongan history and culture,” Ka’ili added.

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Ammon Ioka talks about his business idea at a booth set up in the Heber J. Grant building on April 3. Photo by Chad Hsieh

Defeat can lead to success

Entrepreneurs say Empower Your Dreams is a stepping stone for all participants despite failure

BY NOAH SHOAF With $30,000 in prize money on the line, 76 teams and companies ranging from providing nightlife to saving coral, took part in the annual BYU–Hawaii entrepreneurial competition “Empower Your Dreams.” Although the events on April 3 and 4 were branded a contest, participants and organizers shared how winning was a small part of what it means to empower people’s dreams.

One of the judges for “Empower Your Dreams” was Colby Bauer, the founder of the multimillion-dollar company, Thread Wallets. In 2015, he and his wife participated in “Empower Your Dreams.”

He said coming to judge a competition he did not even place in four years earlier was humbling. “Whether they told us we were a winner or not, they motivated me outside of the competition.” He said moving forward after the competition for him was like “when you are dating someone, and they turn you down. Then you turn around and get a better girl or guy.”

Willes Center Entrepreneur in Residence Ryan Chaffin said during this year’s finalist presentations, he was one of the judges when Thread Wallets competed and they succeeded without winning money.

Like Bauer, Chaffin shared he competed in the BYUH entrepreneurship competitions but

was never chosen as a finalist. He said he knows others in similar situations.

“Many of us who graduated left BYUH and were running businesses we started as students, and none of us ever won any prize money in the competition.”

Chaffin addressed the audience members during the competition and said, “To anyone who didn’t win, or those semi-finalists in the room who were not chosen as a finalist, it does not mean your business is not a good idea. It does not mean you can’t grow and have a great business. [Though] some of the judges didn’t see the vision doesn’t mean the vision isn’t there.”

A member of a semi-finalist team was Cherie Moore, a senior from Utah majoring in peacebuilding. She competed in the prerevenue category, one of the four categories in the event, with her company Smile Aisle.

Smile Aisle is a clothing line, Moore said, dedicated to reminding people to stay positive.

She said with help from her YouTube Channel subscribers, totaling over 15,000, and social media influences, Smile Aisle made $600 in revenue since Feb. 6.

Despite this margin and the audience her business reached, Moore said her team’s time in the competition was shorter than they

wanted. “We didn’t make finals, but it’s okay. To be honest, it was hard for a bit there. It’s hard putting so much time and effort into something to realize that it wasn’t enough.”

Even though it was not what Moore said she wanted, she shared, “I honestly feel like being in this competition helped me learn about myself and how to work as a team. Sometimes we fail, actually, a lot of the time we fail. But it is how we learn and grow from our failures.

That can pave a path for success.”

Moore said she will continue Smile Aisle because it is a part of her lifestyle, and she sees “Empower Your Dreams” as the beginning. •

Graphics by Lynne Hardy 10

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Meet the judges Photos by Chad Hsieh

Tina Fonoimoana Reid

Laie native Tina Fonoimoana Reid graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, and she said she learned she had a passion for entrepreneurship. In 2011, Tina and her husband co-founded Redwood Therapy and Youth Services, an agency that provides outpatient mental health therapy and rehabilitates foster children in the state of Utah.

In 2012, Reid started out of her home Cheat Day Bakery inspired by island flavors. Two years later, Reid and her family relocated to American Samoa, and she restarted Cheat Day Bakery. Now it is the only dessert bar on the island.

Reid shared it was a “full circle” coming back to Laie to help others with their business goals. “I was raised here. So to come and have people think I have something of value to offer is very encouraging. I hope I am encouraging others on the way too.”

She said she was impressed by the students and by the support from the staff of the Willes Center.

“Having people to ask questions to is fundamental. I think entrepreneurship is difficult no matter how you do it, but to have a support system encouraging you is helpful. I had to figure it out on my own.

Although I grew from those experiences, I would love to be able to pass advice to others and let them learn from my experiences.”

She concluded by saying, “I would want students to know they should try it.You will never know if it won’t work if you don’t try. Let Heavenly Father direct your path, and you will be set.”

Colby & McKenzie Bauer

Celia Barnes

McKenzie and Colby Bauer, the founders of Thread Wallets, said their company brings “functionality and self-expression to a product category saturated with bulky and boring.”

Their wallets started as a school project in a BYU-Hawaii entrepreneurship class. They sold their products at BYUH Farmer’s Markets. In 2015, Thread Wallets went on to raise $35,000 on Kickstarter. Later that year, the company went from more than $130,000 in sales in 2015 to $1.1 million in 2017.

McKenzie Bauer said they participated in the Empower Your Dreams competition while they were students here. Although they only got an honorable mention, McKenzie shared it did not stop them from growing their company projected to succeed more than 4.5 million dollars in sales this year.

“Just keep going and trying to innovate. Business take a lot of change and adaptation. Stay on top of things and roll with punches,” she said.

Celia Barnes is the product director for the Deseret Book Company in Salt Lake City. She also coordinated marketing for a startup company that was sold to a Fortune 500 company.

Barnes shared she has two college-age children and she understands being a student and trying to start a business requires sacrifice.

“I do not know how the students [in the competition] do it. They are probably not getting that much sleep, which is important as a college student. I applaud their dedication and drive to be able to manage the stress of keeping up their classes and social life, if they can still have one, and trying to start a business which can be all consuming.”

She added the hardest part of about being a judge is narrowing it down to who wins, but luckily they have categories like uniqueness and feasibility, which makes it easier to judge based on sustainable business plans instead of something a judge might favor.

“I have been blown away with how much work these students have put into it thus far. In many cases, they already have a business that is up and running and has already shown success. They are not just ideas. They have already [been] proven successful.”

“I am so honored to be here. I am energized by being able to be around students.”

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Meet the judges

Alison J. Prince Photo by Monique Saenz

From being featured in Forbes and the cover of Costco Connection, Alison J. Prince is known for having four successful multi-million-dollar online businesses.

“I went into junior high teaching, and I found out I qualified for food stamps, which is not a good feeling after you graduate college. So I took some leftover craft supplies from my house. I had four little kids, two of which are here [at this event]. I took these supplies that were headed to the trash can and built a million dollar business.”

Prince adds, on her website www.alisonjprince.com, “A friend helped me create a super simple website, and I posted my first online product: left-over craft supplies I found in the corner of my office. They sold. I reinvested the profits. I was hooked.”

She said her most successful business choice was teaching her 10 and 13 year olds how to sell more than $100,000 in nine months. Now Prince teaches thousands how they can live like her.

“I had the thought, ‘I am a one-hit wonder.’ I don’t like that feeling, so I went out and built another million dollar business. Then I was like, ‘Maybe I just got lucky again?’ Four multimilliondollar businesses later, I am obsessed with the business world - so much that I decided to teach my girls how to do it.”

AWARDS

2.

Pre-Revenue

1.

Winner of the Pre-Revenue category, Kristan Tiritilli, a junior from California majoring in interdisciplinary studies, said her company, Soulreal Yoga, an on the go yoga studio, will spread due to the prize money because she can invest in a car to travel to her booked sessions.

“It was surprising [to win] because you have so many competitors.

It was all my hard work finally paying off.”

1.

2.

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3.

She sees her yoga business traveling around the island and beyond, with an emphasis on providing yoga supplies and classes for tourists.

1. Soulreal Yoga (Kristan Tiritilli, Lexi Francis) 2. Mini-Fridge (Devin Hampton)

3. The Towel Bag (Kristin Collins, Sabrina Guerra)

3.

Impact Revenue

1.

Young Entrepreneurs

1.

One of the founders of the winning company in the impact category, Alysha Gurr, a senior from Canada majoring in social work, said her project, Pigs for Prosperity, supplies piglets to struggling families in the Philippines and since winning it will have more power in fighting poverty. “I know my team has faith in our project, but it was really validating to know that the judges could see the potential it has as well.

A little bit goes a long way in the Philippines, so this money will make a

difference. With the money, we hope to start a pig farm so that we can keep the project sustainable and help so many more families become self-reliant.”

1. Pigs for Prosperity (Alvin Vincent Dy, Alysha Gurr, Jordan Joshua Richards)

3. Unified Supply Chains (Ammon Ioka)

4. ReefSavers (Michael Jarvis, Kendra Nelson)

2.

In the revenue category, where companies must have made $1,000 in revenue, Addison Hellum, a freshman from California majoring in computer science, exceeded that requirement. He said his company has made over $60,000 and plans to double that number soon.

His company, Starlight Records, won in the revenue category and Hellum said it was an honor to present alongside great companies.

With the $5,000 prize money, he said, “We’re planning to expand

2.

Willes Center Entrepreneur in Residence Ryan Chaffin shared during the competition the Young Entrepreneur Category was introduced last year, and it targets young entrepreneurs on the island rather than BYUH students.

There were four additional judges for this category. Two of the judges were the daughters of Alison J. Prince, and one, Bridges Prince, said she was grateful to help young entrepreneurs because she is one herself.

“When I was 10 and my sister was 13, we built a business and we sold scarfs. In nine months, we sold over six figures.”

3. the company to have a greater presence on social media and the web through music promotional blogs. We’re currently accepting both artists as well as investors.”

1. Starlight Records (Anel Canto, Jon Leach, Addison Hellum) 2. Oyo Ties (Tsetsgee Enkhbold)

3. Harold Pedroso Photography (Harold Pedroso)

3.

Winners of the category were Laie residents Angelee Marshall and Ashley Marshall. They said they were surprised to win because of competition from businesses like “Crinkles for College,” but they knew their photo booth business was a strong contender.

“With the money, we are going to get better equipment and eventually we want to build a mobile software to go along with our business,” said Ashley Marshall.

1. North Shore Photo Booth (Angelee Marshall, Ashley Marshall) 2. Crinkles for College (Alexa Springer)

3. Kelly’s Lawn Care (Kelly Lewis, Kendra Lewis, McKay Lewis) Photos by Ho Yin Li APR IL 2019

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Gotta love pork & ham in a can People in Hawaii consume 7 million cans of SPAM each year, reports SPAM website

BY PATSY BRERETON

People in Hawaii consume more SPAM than in any other state. Photos by Emily Hancock

Locals in Hawaii use SPAM’s slightly spiced, salty flavor in everything from breakfast scrambles with eggs to a sushi-like concoction made with rice and a seaweed wrap known as a musubi (moosue-bee).

Born and raised in Laie, Zynfia Colburn, a graphic design major at BYU–Hawaii, said she grew up eating SPAM as a child, but her family doesn’t eat as much of it anymore. Colburn said they are trying to eat healthy but still consider musubi to be the ultimate beach snack because the kids love it, and it’s easy to pack.

According to the SPAM website, people in Hawaii consume more SPAM than any state at seven million cans a year. The SPAM website explains Hawaii’s love affair with SPAM began in World War II when soldiers were served the salty lunch meat because it didn't require refrigeration and had a long shelf life.

SPAM is the most requested item at Hawaii’s food banks, according to nationalgeographic. com. Additionally, Waikiki hosts the annual Waikiki SPAM JAM. The event attracts thousands of SPAM enthusiasts, all wanting to sample hundreds of unique SPAM creations prepared 14

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by various restaurants around town. This year’s Waikiki SPAM JAM will be on Saturday, April 27 from 4-10 p.m.

Love it or hate it, SPAM is a cultural icon and is recognized all over the world for saltiness, and its ability to withstand all manner of emergencies. This is up to and including thermonuclear war and zombie apocalypse, according to seriousseats.com.

Stuart Wolthuis, associate professor of computer and information systems at BYUH, said he loves to eat it fried and cooked in a pan over an open fire at Scout Camp.

Rhea Wilcox, a BYUH alumna from Las Vegas, said she likes to cube SPAM, dump brown sugar on it, cook it until it’s glazed and then serve it over rice. She also said she grew up eating it, and SPAM is a family favorite because it’s delicious.

Vernon Slack, who lives in Alpine, Utah, said, “Growing up in Laie, my mother would make deviled SPAM where she would grind up the SPAM and sweet pickles and mix in Miracle Whip. That was spread on bread for our lunches at school. For dinner, she would slice the SPAM

and then bake it like meatloaf with ketchup or pineapple on top. She made saimin with slices of SPAM. Now I have SPAM musubi when I can find it.”

Casey Lythgoe, a BYUH alumnus from Roy, Utah, said his wife puts it in fried rice instead of ham. “Try it once.You will never go back.”

Kelli Radmall, a former BYUH student from Texas, exclaimed, “Cook the diced SPAM in a mixture of brown sugar and Shoyu, put on top of hot rice and top with over easy eggs and a drizzle of the Shoyu mixture. SPAM, rice, and eggs, baby!”

"SPAM, rice, and eggs, baby!"

SPAM musubi recipe Ingredients 1 (12 oz) Can of SPAM luncheon meat (less salt, if possible) 4 cups cooked rice 1 pkg. Nori SAUCE: 2 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp sugar 1 Tbsp Mirin

How to prepare: 1. Prepare rice.

2. Slice SPAM into 10 slices. Mix soy sauce, sugar, mirin.

3. Cook SPAM in the mixture until liquid is reduced and thickened. Set aside.

4. Place Nori on wax paper or a plastic sheet.

Scoop rice into musubi mold and press down.

5. Place a slice of SPAM over rice. Scoop more rice into the mold. Press down and lift the mold off.

6. Wrap with Nori and seal with water.

Recipe from Carmel Chen, the mother of co-editor Anuhea Chen.

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Graphics by Lynne Hardy

Student graduation speaker Alyssa "AJ" Caduada says counseling with the Lord in everything people do is the way to grow and survive college life. Photo by Chad Hsieh

Studying with a purpose, graduating to help others AJ Caduada reflects on her time at BYU-Hawaii as she prepares for graduation speech

BY HAELEY VAN DER WERF Alyssa “AJ” Caduada, a senior from the Philippines majoring in psychology, has been selected as the Winter 2019 Graduation speaker.

As she looked back on her time at BYUH, Caduada shared how the spiritual environment and supportive teachers are some of the things that made her experience wonderful and prepare her for future motherhood.

She said her future role as a mother helped her choose her major and what she wants

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students to remember about why they are in school.

Dawn Akana, assistant professor of exercise and sport science, said of Caduada, “She just wants to make a difference. She is the kind of person who is not afraid to stand up for something right. She is not afraid to help someone. She is more concerned about others [than] herself.”

Choosing psychology

Since Caduada was a child, she said she wanted to be a mother and she wanted to study a subject enabling her to be the best mother. When she went to school in the Philippines, she studied nursing. Following her mission in the Philippines and transferring to BYUH, she felt prompted to switch to psychology.

She said, “I see, in a gospel sense, motherhood is one of the noblest things we can

do. I figured I wanted to study anything that could help me prepare for my future role.”

When she studied her mom’s occupation of nursing, she said she realized it helped her mom.

She stopped her studies to go on a mission.

When she returned, she wanted to study at BYUH. The university offered courses in biology and psychology.

Another thing pushing her to study psychology, she said, was interacting with people on her mission. “With my experiences on my mission working with other people and being with different companions, I felt inclined to do psychology. I’ve always believed there’s a reason people do what they do. I was really fascinated and excited. I loved how I got to learn about behavior and mental processes. Instead of passing judgement on a person about why they act the way they do, I realize there is always a reason they act that way. I also wanted to fulfill my interest in biology.”

Advice to students

“For students currently studying here,” Caduada shared, “the scripture from Ecclesiastes says there is a time and a season for everything.

There is a time to study, work, to go the temple, and to relax. Recognize there is a time for everything.

“I would also mention the importance of following the counsel in the Book of Mormon to counsel with the Lord in everything we do.

That’s something that helped me. There are challenging courses that help you grow. Looking back, there were semesters where I would tell my mom, ‘This is so hard. I don’t know if I can survive this semester.’ Then I survived the semester, and I am so grateful I did.

“I acknowledge it is because of the Lord’s help and the help of other people. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do it on my own. Doing things with the Lord, knowing their purpose and why they are here helps a lot.”

Another thing she shared is to remember why people are studying. Using her own experience as an example, she said, “Friends would ask me what I was studying, and I would be excited to tell them psychology. [They] would say, ‘Psychology? Isn’t that hard?’ I would always think how other majors are also difficult in many ways. They require a lot of things as well.

“If you know your purpose, and you remember why you are doing [your] major, that helps. I would tell my friends there are

"The passion, desire and purpose of why I'm studying helped me get through all the classes.” many requirements, but it is something I feel really passionate about. The passion, desire and purpose of why I’m studying helped me get through all the classes I’ve taken. It’s the same with other majors and work. My advice for people who plan to come here is to be aware of all the resources we have.”

As for Caduada’s future, Akana said she believes Caduada will be able to accomplish anything she wants. “She is a go-getter. She is able to articulate what she is thinking. She is kind. She is concerned about people. Whenever she works in a group, she always tries to involve people. She puts in the time.

“I don’t think it would matter what she wants to actually end up in. She would do well, and she would excel because she would put in the time and the effort. It wouldn’t be just to do a job. It would be because she wanted to learn in the process. I think that's one of the reasons she stands out from your typical student.”

BYUH and gospel connection

Caduada shared, “I love how gospel principles are incorporated in classroom settings. Here it’s interesting how teachers interrelate their teachings with gospel principles.

It’s wonderful seeing how they don’t contradict each other but are connected.”

Caduada said she was touched when she was struggling in a class and her professor said students could be failing in the class and still reach the celestial kingdom. She said, “He wasn’t implying we could just flunk his class. What I got from that conversation is we learn, struggle, and try our best to do well. We need to learn the things which matter the most. As long as you have those values and characteristics, the school tries to encourage us to develop, [success] will follow academically.”

Akana shared how Caduada has applied these principles in the three classes she had with her. “ She made the assignments meaningful to her. I think, in general, students do [assignments] just to get it done. She does them to learn something from it.”

Teachers who go the extra mile for their students, Caduada explained, made her glad she chose to come to BYUH. “I’m grateful for the support professors give. They are supportive, approachable and my experiences has made me reflect on how the Atonement works.

“There's a wonderful passage in the Book of Mormon which talks about being saved after all we can do. It’s the same with school in a way. Most professors are very helpful. After we do our part as students, attend our classes, submit homework, do papers, and take tests, they'll try to fill the gap.”

President M. Russell Ballard to give address at graduation

President M. Russell Ballard.

Photo courtesy of the Church

President M. Russell Ballard is scheduled to be the April 2019 Graduation speaker. He has served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since Oct. 6, 1985, says the Church's website.

He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on Oct. 8, 1928, to Melvin R. and Geraldine Smith Ballard. He attended the University of Utah. As a young man, he served a mission to England. He has also served as a bishop twice. In 1974, he was called as president of the Canada Toronto Mission. Much of his ministry has been focused on missionary work, reports the Church's website.

Prior to his call as a fulltime Church leader, Elder Ballard had interests in the automotive, real estate, and investment businesses.

He has served on Church and civic committees and boards.

He married Barbara Bowen in the Salt Lake Temple on Aug. 28, 1951. They are the parents of two sons and five daughters.

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People showed their support by using words of encouragement as they wrote, "We are one," or "This is not us." Photo by AP

Unity in tragedy

As details of the shootings in Christchurch unfolded, students from Christchurch and other parts of New Zealand share their feelings and pay their respects

BY WILL KRUEGER As tragedy struck Christchurch, New Zealand with two mosque shootings on March 15, students from Christchurch said New Zealanders were able to find unity through the tragedy.

“The amazing thing about my community is how we unite after tragedy,” said Jana McQueen, a senior studying business management and psychology from Christchurch. “I’ve seen the prime minister respond so caringly and all the cultures of New Zealand come together and show support. The same thing happened in 2011 after Christchurch was hit by the earthquakes [that killed 185 people]. We came together.”

McQueen said she used to run every week past one of the mosques where the main shooting took place. Her house is located about a 20-minute drive away from the mosque.

She recalled what happened as the news unfolded about the shootings. “I was just finishing work and I got a text from my sister that said, ‘Pray. The city is getting shot.’

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“My family in Christchurch was on lockdown. Our family was all separated and some in different countries, but despite the tragedy happening, we were all able to unite so quickly through technology.”

The president of the Aotearoa Club, Chesser Cowan, a sophomore studying intercultural peacebuilding from New Zealand, said there are approximately 40 students from New Zealand at BYU-Hawaii. He said, “There was a lot of shock from the New Zealand students here at school.

Everyone took it pretty hard.”

Cowan said the Aotearoa Club dedicated its Culture Night performance to those affected by the shootings. “We wanted to let others know we are not a country that is divided, but we are a country united through this tragedy. It just seemed like the right thing to do seeing as this happened in our backyard, and we wanted to show our support. We wanted our voices to be heard.”

In reaction to the shootings, people showed their support for those affected by changing their Facebook profile pictures to include messages of encouragement and support like, “We are one,” “This is not us,” and “kia kaha,” which means stay strong in Maori. The country held a two-minute moment of silence a week after the tragedy around the same time the shootings began, reported BBC News. Candlelight vigils were also held throughout the country where people could pay their respects.

Moananui Kadarmia, a senior majoring in biology from New Zealand, shared similar sentiments as McQueen. “This has joined the local communities and country together.

Everyone is mourning for our Muslim brothers and sisters. Everyone came together and supported each other through this tragedy.”

Kadarmia described his feelings for Christchurch in the wake of this tragedy: “I lived in Christchurch for about six months. I lived

there and worked in construction to save up for my mission. I came in at a time where the city was rebuilding from the devastating earthquakes.

“I feel a lot of aroha [Maori word for love] for Christchurch for a lot of reasons. Christchurch was where I turned my life around, decided to go on a mission and found a lot of healing for myself there.

To hear about the shootings was devastating. I couldn’t believe that something else happened again in Christchurch.”

Kadarmia said the response from his people after this tragedy is admirable. He added, “Our prime minister did a great job supporting the Muslim community. She’s been a great example of being a leader. New Zealanders have joined in the cause and done their best to support and show respect.”

When Asked what might change in New Zealand as a result of the tragedy, McQueen said, “They might put security at more airports. Organizations will have to learn how to train people to respond to active shooters. That is stuff people have never been trained on. I hope this will change people's everyday conversation about race and religion. I think people will be much more careful now.”

She added, “I’m sorry for the loss people had. But I’m comforted by the fact there has been so much support to help people affected.” •

Above: New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, was hailed around the world for her decisive response to two mosque shootings in Christ’s Church. Photo by AP. Below: Aotearoa Club performed the haka during Culture Night. Photo by Chad Hsieh.

"This doesn’t happen in New Zealand. Not in my home. This is not us..."

The writer, Will Kruger’s, personal connection “This doesn’t happen in New Zealand.” “Not in my home.” “This is not us.” These were some of the thoughts that plagued my mind as I learned of the shootings that took place in Christchurch, which is the city next to where I live. The shootings became more personal for me as more information was released. I discovered one of the men shot was someone I attended high school with. Thankfully, he survived. His story made the news because he said he “played dead” and waited for the shooter to leave before he made his escape. I couldn’t believe someone I personally knew experienced such an atrocity. I couldn’t help but send him a message on Facebook to let him know my thoughts and prayers were with him and those affected.

Beyond that, I kept learning of more personal connections I had to this catastrophic event. My nieces and nephew were at school in the same area one of the mosques is located.

The gunman’s house was discovered to be in the suburb of Anderson’s Bay, Dunedin, which is a five-minute drive from my house. According to AP, his original target was a mosque in my hometown of Dunedin. All of these connections I had made this horrific event much more real to me and left me feeling anxious for weeks after the shootings took place. Unfortunately, there are families and people who have had to experience much worse as a result of this tragedy. My heart aches for them. I stand united with them and New Zealanders all over the world in encouraging them to ‘kia kaha’ [Maori phrase for stay strong]. •

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Editor’s Note: Writer J. Eston Dunn shared his experience finding art at the Give & Take and researching the life of the artist.

“Standing in the Hawaii State Art Museum gallery looking at the rich brown ink swirling into waves and human figures of Hawaii long past, I knew I had seen that style before. The framed print on the wall bore uncanny resemblance to a pair of similarly sized prints I had salvaged from a bin at the Give & Take on campus the week before. They were depictions of the demigod Maui being carried on the backs of jellyfish while being fed by birds, and as an adult, wrestling a great eel,” Dunn writes. “The caked grim on the glass frame did little to dampen the still beating heart of Hawaiian myth imbued into the page by the printer, the same heartbeat I felt looking at the print in the Hawaii State Art Museum. I read on the little plaque next to the print, ‘Dietrich Varez, Big Island’.”

The two prints found at Give & Take, pictured at the left, inspired this story, writes Dunn.

D Student Eston Dunn shows prints designed by Dietrich Varez, who experts say is one of Hawaii’s most recognizable artists. Dunn says he discovered the block prints at Give & Take on campus. Photo by Teva Todd

Nativism in the prints of Big Island artist Varez stand the test of time BYUH student finds artist’s work at Give & Take J. ESTON DUNN

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ietrich Varez’s is one of Hawaii’s most recognizable artist, whose philosophy of art belonging to the people and distinctive style in portraying Hawaiian myth cements his place as a modern ambassador of native Hawaiian story, according to art critics.

“My goal is to make art – at least my art – available to common people,” Varez said in a 1979 interview with Sunday Today. He added, “I want to get it into your mom’s house and my mom’s house.”

Because of Varez’s liberal art philosophy and skill, his linoleum prints, for which he is most famous, decorate homes around the world and local museums including the Hawaii State Art Museum and Bishop Museum.

ART STYLE AND PHILOSOPHY “Dietrich was very unique,” said Emily Weiss, a long-time friend of Varez and gallery manager of the Volcano Art Center where Varez sold a majority of his prints.

Weiss explained Varez was aware English doesn’t translate well to Hawaiian. Since Varez’s work shows the Hawaiian connection to the environment, she said, “He chose printmaking as his form of storytelling.”

Varez considered his work essential in preserving and spreading Hawaiian culture and said in the 1979 article saying, “Well, I’ll tell you: The Hawaiian ‘melting pot’ is being melted right into oblivion. Linda [his wife] and I feel like we’re doing something to sustain it.

Especially since it’s been so neglected. There was a simplicity and a strength in the old ways, in their life.

“I try to do two things: Please the viewer visually and give him a lesson, something from the past. Like the tying of canoes, fishing methods, things like that.”

Weiss describe Varez’s distinctive style, “[Varez] was able to add so many elements that relate back to the Hawaiian language. So many facets to describe and share these stories, like words with double meanings. He’ll add borders or other types of embellishment that add to the illustration. These elements that you would not necessarily appreciate is why his work is so important.”

Weiss said for example, “In the ‘Opihi Pickers’ image, the design shows an ocean scene, with human forms picking limpets from rocks.

You might not even notice, but the subjects are turned in a way that they never have their backs to the ocean. This is a very important rule in Hawai’i Nei. “If you focus on the details of the images, you will learn very important lessons for his work. Dietrich could’ve made a few pieces of art and kept producing, but he made over 300 handcarved blocks.

“He would tell those stories over and over and change the illustrations to depict that. He wanted to keep going. The detail he added amounted to the amazing textures of the prints.

Dietrich carved out every little inch he could to make these amazing details.”

“Originally,” Weiss said, “people were afraid of the Pele stories especially, and his depiction of them since he was an outsider.Yet, through his humility and dedication to his art, people began to accept him and his work. One of his proudest accomplishments was being recognized as the illustrator for Mary Kawena Pukui’s ‘Oleleo No’eau, Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings’.”

Weiss said Varez built his own homestead on the Big Island and felt he needed that isolation to produce his work. Steven Spense, the author of the 1979 Sunday Today article, described Varez’s homestead as, “There is no electricity, no running water, no sewers, no phones, no paved

roads, no street lights, no postal service. There is just the silence of the deep woods, interrupted only by birds and at times the furious, pounding rain unleashed by the brooding clouds that hang low over Kilauea Volcano higher up.”

“He didn’t get caught up in the social scene, [nature] is what inspired him,” Weiss remarked.

Spense said Varez’s self-imposed isolation also included regularly missing artist receptions at galleries that sold his work in his early career.

Weiss continued, “He was inspired by the Japanese philosophy that art belonged to the people and encouraged by a local Japanese businessman to produce unlimited, various sized, affordable prints. He wanted to keep his art affordable. That way it wasn’t elitist, and anyone could afford a print and take in any home.”

Originally, Varez produced all his own prints on the floor of his homemade cabin to keep costs low before he outsourced the work to local art publisher Magic Mo Ez. Varez described his process as, “I’m down on all fours, man; My art comes with dirt and dog hairs on it. I like to think that the people who buy my prints know they’re getting something for the deal.”

EARLY LIFE Varez’s early experiences in Hawaii proved formative in shaping his connection to people and places. Varez first arrived in Oahu in 1948 at the age of 8, with his brother, Christian; mother, Ursula; and new stepfather, Manuel Varez, an American Army sergeant, and according to the 1940 census, an Oahu native.

They came from war-torn Berlin where his mother had divorced his father after he abandoned them at the close of the war. Varez referred to the period of his life as “pure misery” in another interview with Hawaiian Magazine that same year.

Weiss said Hawaii proved its own set of challenges for Varez. Upon arrival Varez couldn’t speak English let alone Hawaiian. Varez told Weiss that as a result he was teased at school and was “definitely an outsider.” This social isolation combined with his adopted father’s house sitting out on the reefs of Pearl Harbor, led him and his brother to spend hours together every day out on the reef, fishing, collecting, and learning the art of peddling their catches at the Chinatown market.

“Varez said it was the first time he was able to enjoy his childhood,” Weiss recalled, “It was also where he developed a deep appreciation for

the Hawaiian culture and wanted to share it with the world.”

Varez would later pursue a master’s in English at University of Hawaii at Manoa, join the Army Reserves, and marry competitive surfer Linda Donneberg in 1965. Eventually, Varez worked at Ala Wai boat harbor as a shipwright. “That’s where [Varez] learned about woodworking and started carving icons out of scrap lumber,” Weiss explained.

MOVE TO THE BIG ISLAND “Dietrich moved to Big Island in 1969,” Weiss elaborated. “It was really important for him and his family to be in the forest environment.”

Varez said in the 1979 interview “At first, I carved wooden tikis. Then I tried shallow-relief stuff and finally the linoleum blocks. With woodcarving, you make something and sell it and you never see it again. There is a continuous reward with prints.”

Weiss said, “In 1974 the [Volcano Art] Center opened and put out his block prints and sold seven in the first month. He became one of the first artists at the center, which was really important because we didn’t know if [the center] was going to make it.” But by 1979, Varez’s prints became so popular that despite the relatively small profit he gained from each print, he was able to quit his bartending job and work entirely as an artist to support himself and his family.

LEGACY Varez passed away on Aug. 14, 2018 on the Big Island. Even beyond the grave, Varez has did his best to ensure his art remains affordable and accessible by leaving the rights to reproduce his art at the Volcano Art Center and having his art on display in public galleries. Varez’s longtime publisher Karen “Magic Mo” Ez said, “Dietrich Varez, [was] one of the most humble, giving and dearest artists in all the world. His works carry on. Every print I create of his contains my love and memory of his laughter and joy.”

The Volcano Art Center has begun a legacy program for Varez where it offers a once-a-week block printing class on Mondays from 11-1.

Students can come and print off of his handcarved blocks – a few that his wife allows – for a $5 supplies fee. The class is scheduled to go through July of this year. Anyone interested can contact the Volcano Art Center or visit www. volcanoartcenter.org to find out more. • APR IL 2019

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Venezuelans protest about the lack of water and supplies. Photo by AP

Venezuela went from powerful to powerless, a catastrophe for Venezuelans BYU–Hawaii students and alumni with ties to Venezuela explain the forces behind the crisis

BY ELIJAH HADLEY For the past several years, the South American country of Venezuela has steeped into economic and political turmoil. According to Forbes, its economy has dropped from 10th to 33rd place in a decade. With its citizens facing power outages, looting and chaos, BYU–Hawaii students and others in the community with close ties to Venezuela explained the background of the conflict as well as their sympathies for the people.

Andria Tupola, an alumna from BYU in Provo and a former member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, said she served her mission in Venezuela from 2003 to 2004. She explained the background of the conflict. The 22

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main cause of the crisis at the moment is the competition between two men who claim to be the rightful president, according to Tupola.

Earlier in 2019, Nicolás Maduro was sworn in as the president of Venezuela for a second term. Believing the election to be rigged, on Jan. 2, Juan Guaidó, the leader of Venezuela’s legislature, declared himself to be the president with support from the United States and several other countries from Europe and South America.

Maduro, a socialist like his mentor and former president, Hugo Chavez, was elected in May 2018. According to VOA News, “Maduro won his first election by a thin margin and was re-elected in a controversial poll in May 2018,

in which opposition candidates were either prevented from running or boycotted the race.”

Guaidó, the leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly had been active in street protests against Maduro’s socialist government. The National Assembly argued the election in May 2018 was not fair, and the presidency was vacant, allowing them to appoint Guaidó to be president.

Alondra Grover, a sophomore from Idaho majoring in biochemistry, said she has close ties to Venezuela. Her mother is from Venezuela and her father served his mission there. Of the suffering faced by the people, she said, “People have been dying in hospitals when there is no power. All of this is true. My grandparents still

live in Venezuela as well as two of my uncles. The power was off for about five or six days so they had no access to water, air conditioning, propane gas to cook or the internet.”

Suffering of the citizens “The people are suffering,” Tupola said.

“People are leaving the country but many will not have the means to relocate. Many have come to the United States and others have fled to bordering countries. I still get messages from people asking for help. One of my good friends actually just flew back to Venezuela to help his companion from the mission relocate his family to Colombia. The Church is trying to help but the situation is very severe.”

With this struggle between two leaders who claim to be the rightful president, Venezuela’s economy has suffered. According to VOA, inflation has increased to 1.7 million percent. In the years Maduro and Chavez held power, oil production, the country’s main source of income, decreased by about a third.

According to Britannica, the Venezuelan economy is mainly based on the export of petroleum. From the 1940s to the 1970s, it was the world’s largest exporter of petroleum. In the 1980s and 1990s, economic recession and inflation caused the economy to slump. This led to a socialist economy in 1998.

According to a Forbes article recommended by Tupola, the International Monetary Fund expects inflation in Venezuela to reach 10 million percent this year.

Mercy Corp reports there are more than 3 million displaced people in Venezuela, with its humanitarian crisis being the worst in the western hemisphere. The United Nations estimates there will be 5.3 million refugees and migrants by the end of 2019. Because of the economic collapse and inflation, Venezuelans can barely afford food for their families.

According to Mercy Corps, babies in Syria now have a better chance of survival than those born in Venezuela because of the lack of health services. There is a shortage of 85 percent in medicines, and nearly 13,000 doctors have left Venezuela in the past four years.

Colombia hosts the most Venezuelan refugees at around 1 million, reports the World Bank. People who were once doctors, lawyers and university professors have had to resort to menial labor. Colombia recently suspended temporary visas for refugees. Venezuelans can no longer work there legally.

Grover shared her family’s experience in Venezuela and how the crisis is affecting them.

“My dad served his mission in Venezuela, and my mom is from Venezuela, so I do have personal ties to Venezuela. I went to Venezuela once when I was about 4 years old,” Glover said. “I don’t remember much due to my young age, but I remember being with my family and the beautiful scenery. Venezuela is a country that has a lot of resources, especially petroleum.”

Grover’s mother is from the city of Maracaibo, which is where most of the petroleum of the nation is found. “Ever since

"People are leaving the country but many will not have the means to relocate."

- Andria Tupola

President Hugo Chávez entered office he began making radical changes. President Gordon B. Hinckley received the revelation to remove all American missionaries from Venezuela and shortly afterward, Chavez removed all foreign oil companies from Venezuela. There haven’t been American missionaries in Venezuela for years.”

Her mother, Karina Grover, who is a native of Venezuela, wrote in a recent Facebook post, “Venezuela, my homeland, a beautiful country with beautiful people, good people, geographically so close to us, but so far from being modern these days. It only took twenty years of a socialist government to devastate and completely collapse and ruin it. I often wonder why and how exactly this idea of socialism was appealing to so many. Only because Venezuelans are hard workers who like to do their very best.

“The electricity network of an entire country not being maintained at all finally collapsed, leaving 32 million people without [power]. On Thursday, March 7 at about 12:30 p.m., it went out. As of now Monday the 11th, there is still no electricity in about 90% of the country and no hopes of [it] being restored.

There are no backup generators in hospitals.”

Alondra Grover shared her opinion about Venezuela’s future. “The way I see it, the people of Venezuela need to take the reins of the government into their own hands. I hope and I pray it will be resolved peacefully, but it will probably turn ugly until the leadership is resolved and reestablished. If this crisis can be resolved, I think the country can be turned around within a decade or two.” •

Juan Guaido, who claims he is the president instead of Nicolas Maduro, is shown with the press and protestors. Photo by AP APR IL 2019

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The man behind the market

David Keala creates BYUH Farmer’s Market to better cater to the community

BY J. ESTON DUNN

Food Services Director David Keala talks with workers in the C-Store. He has worked at BYU–Hawaii for two decades and was instrumental in starting the Farmer’s Market on campus. Photo by Chad Hsieh

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Since his arrival on campus as the director of Food Services 20 years ago, students and staff have said David Keala’s innovative mind has won their admiration.

“Everyone loves him from the top down,” said Club Director Marilou Lee. “We love David as our manager because of his amiability, respect, and hard work ethic.”

Executive Chef Spencer Tan said, “David loves to see growth in the staff and fixes issues immediately. My only critique is that he spends too much time at work.”

One of Keala’s accomplishments, according to staff and co-workers, is his creation of the bi-weekly BYU–Hawaii Farmer’s Market in 2002.

LOOKING FOR A MARKET The Farmer’s Market came to fruition a few years after Keala arrived, according to Tan. Keala searched the island for ideas for a market. Keala said, “We started by looking into other farmer’s markets and visiting every market on the island. We even traveled to others in the mainland to figure out what would make ours work.

“Originally we invited a few vendors to participate. It began in [the] Seasider with five tables and from there we invited more farmers. It moved from Seasider and now into the ballroom. We’re always looking for feedback and ways to improve.”

Examples of improvement, according to Keala, was the student leadership initiative to increase the diversity of plate lunches at the market and the market’s practice of buying wholesale produce from the farmers to decrease their stress of missing time in the fields to sell their products.

According to Tan, much of the success comes from the combined efforts of the front of house, the back of house and the director.

“It started small, only a few vendors, but has gotten bigger every year from $2,000 in revenue when we started to $10,000 now.”

Tan continued, “It actually beat other farmer’s markets in the area because they don’t have a chef.” One of his main responsibilities, he explained, as a chef, was to keep plate lunches marketable through high quality and low price. This commodity attracts a wider range of customers to the market and ultimately makes for a profitable venture.

“There’s always something new to try,” Keala added. Recently, this has included a crepe stand hosted by Food Services along with businesses, like Dole and Kevita, trying to promote their brands through samples.

STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT THE FARMER’S MARKET Keala said he encourages student involvement in the market. He said, “[The

Farmer’s Market] is the chance for students to show their entrepreneurship skills and operates kind of like a laboratory for student business. We ought to have more participants.”

Keala continued to reference certain successful student products that began at the Farmers Market. Notably a pants business that started a few years ago and was purchased by the BYUH Bookstore.

The requirements for becoming a vendor at the Farmer’s Market include: Filing a vendor application, receiving approval from the Farmer’s Market committee on the proposed business, and a willingness to arrive early and stay later for setup and take down.

Anyone interested in becoming a vendor can follow the link to get started: https:// foodservices.byuh.edu/farmersmarket.html The Farmer’s Market continues to be held on payday Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Aloha Center Ballroom until the end of the Spring Semester. The Farmer’s Market will resume in the fall. •

Graphics by Michele Crowley APR IL 2019

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F EAT URE

FLYING FLAGS BYU–Hawaii students speak about the importance of hanging their country’s flags correctly in the Flag Circle

BY ELIJAH HADLEY

The Flag Circle is an icon on campus. When students tell custodians about a flag being raised incorrectly, they said they will correct it. Photo by Wesley Ng

The Flag Circle is one of the first things new students and visitors see when they arrive at BYU–Hawaii with the flags fluttering high on their poles, representing a diverse student body. Despite the dedication to diversity and respect for all the cultures and nations the school represents, a few BYUH students said they have seen their flags being hung upside down.

The custodial staff who put up the flags each morning said the flags are marked to show what is the top and what is the bottom, but sometimes mistakes are made. They said if people call them when they see a problem with a flag, they will fix it immediately.

WHAT FLAGS MEAN TO STUDENTS Maclean Sauseru, a sophomore from the Solomon Islands majoring in political science, who brought attention to the issue, explained why having the flags hung incorrectly concerns him. “I have met some

students who told me the people who put up those flags have to get up early in the morning to do that. Here’s my take. All the students who have jobs, whether on PCC or on campus, have the same struggles with their time and schedules. Some students stay up late doing assignments, or have a bad day, or have some personal problems.

“When they go to work, they’re expected to put smiles on their faces and work the same as everyone else. So I don’t think there’s any difference or anything to do with them having to put up the flags … The flag of a country is more than just a flag. It represents a person’s culture, family, and land.”

Viriya Si-Ara, a freshman from Cambodia majoring in computer science, said she has never seen her flag flown incorrectly. Speaking about her country’s flag, Si-Ara said, “Our flag has Angkor Wat, the heart of our country.

It represents the heart, the soul, and the santification of my ancestors to me.”

When asked what her reaction would be if her flag was flown incorrectly, Si-Ara responded “People from my country would probably be sad. Our flag is our heart and soul. It is much more than just a piece of cloth on a pole. Imagine what American students would do if the American flag was flown incorrectly.”

When David Bannister, a freshman from California majoring in political science, was asked what the American flag meant to him, he shared, “It represents one of the countries I am a citizen of. As I learn more about it, I relate this particular flag to different things.

The 13 stripes represent the revolutionary struggle the 13 colonies had with England.

The 50 stars symbolize the 50 states. White is for purity, red is for valor and blue is for justice.”

According to an article on newsmaven. io., in the United States, flying the American flag upside down is seen as a symbol of

distress, according to the United States Flag Code, Title 4, Chapter 1. In several states and counties, it is illegal to fly the American flag upside down. An Army veteran from Iowa was arrested after flying the flag upside down to protest an oil pipeline being built near his house.

X Llewel Galapon Angala, a junior from the Philippines majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said “My flag is very important because it symbolizes freedom, unity, and patriotism. Moreover, it brings peace to everyone.

“If it’s hung incorrectly, it means the country is at war. In the Philippines, if the red color is above the blue color, it means war. According to Republic Act No. 8491, the flag should only be flown upside down during war.”

"Our flag is our heart and soul. It is much more than just a piece of cloth on a pole. Imagine what American students would do if the American flag was flown incorrectly.”

THE FLAG RAISERS Janeen Kaka, a custodial supervisor, explained how the flags are hung up, and how sometimes some of them may be hung incorrectly.

“On most of the flags we receive for the circle, the side that goes up has a tag on it to tell the person hanging it which side is up and which side is down. The name of the country will be on the tag. Of course, when the students are out there at 4 in the morning, it’s pitch dark.

“The students who work the morning shift are trying to raise the flags as fast as they can. It isn’t their only job,” Kaka explained. “They have been trained to put it up according to the tag and the name on the tag.”

Kaka said certain flags come with the label on the opposite side, thus creating confusion.

Rodney Salanoa, the primary custodial supervisor for the morning, said, “If the flag comes to us without a label, we go online and look up a picture of it to make sure we write ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ onto the flag ourselves.”

Salanoa stressed when flags are hung incorrectly “it’s always an accident. There was one instance where the Indonesian flag was raised upside down. An upside own Indonesian flag looks exactly like the Polish flag. So we had to fix that quickly.

“Every time we get a call about something like that, we are very quick to respond. All of our morning workers are students. They are working by 4a.m. and put up the flags around 6 a.m. A lot of it is the deadline to put the flags up by sunrise.

Sometimes the students get a head start.”

Kaka said, “They try to do their very best.

Once in a while we’ll get some news about a flag being flown incorrectly and fix it right away.” •

-Viriya Si-Ara, a freshman from Cambodia

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Photo taken by Wesley Ng

BYUH alumni Coney Pulla and Corbin Thomander are the co-founders of Rice Love, a company that repurposes rice jute bags into backpacks and other products. For every product sold, the company gives one kilogram of rice to a family in need. Photo by Sarah Querido

Coney Pulla (left) and Corbin Thomander (right) are the founders of Rice Love.

Photos courtesy of Coney Pulla

Rice Love assists

Love (for rice) will more than 2,500 families save the world BYUH alumnus Coney Pulla says if people buy a bag, they give a family 1 kilo of rice

BY ELIJAH HADLEY

BYU–Hawaii alumnus Coney Pulla says if you buy a bag, you feed a family

BY ELIJAH HADLEY

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or Coney Pulla, his college life did not begin or end the way he had planned it. Out of a self-proclaimed passion to do good for others and the environment, he co-founded Rice Love, a company designed to help others around the world. Pulla said he attended the BYU–Hawaii Asian Pacific Career Conference in March in hopes to encourage more students to serve others and share his experience with them.

THE FIGHT TO END GLOBAL HUNGER Born and raised in Hyderabad, India, Pulla said his home country of India has much to offer the world. “[India] can offer a way to keep ourselves happy. It teaches people to believe in themselves, live in the means of whatever one earns. It also helps the world know that no matter how big your earnings are, you need to live life to the fullest with your family."

Out of this love for family and others, Pulla was inspired to start Rice Love He said he created Rice Love with “a friend on campus where I worked. He had an idea and I had a strong connection back home for manufacturing and desire to help.

“His idea was to repurpose rice jute bags into backpacks and other products. We would sell them in the USA, and for every product sold, we would give away one kilogram of rice to a family in need.”

With an idea in place, Pulla and his partner needed money to start their business.

He and his business partner decided to compete in the 2014 Empower Your Dreams competition in the social category.

“We won the first prize with an award of $5,000. Using that money we started our business,” Pulla shared. “The first year we made $45,000, second year $280,000 and then third year we are projecting to make $1.7 million.

“Since the company has started, we have given away more than 40 tons of rice, fed over 1,600 families with 25 kilos of rice and helped more than 1,000 families with their children’s schooling and health insurance.

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“We are committed to showing you the proof,” he continued.

“Every item comes with a unique tag number that can be used to find the photo and story of the family that you have fed. When you buy our bags, you are raising your hand in support in the fight to end global hunger and improve the planet.”

Corbin Thomander, an alumnus who graduated from BYUH in 2002, co-founded Rice Love with Pulla. Working in various staff positions at BYUH between 2012 and 2014, he knew he wanted to hire Pulla at the BYUH Bookstore because of he could be both friendly and professional.

Thomander said, “As I got to know Coney, we really got along well. We had a special connection. I really wanted him to see the opportunities that awaited him back in India. I knew he could have a tremendous impact there.

“One day, he decided to enter the business plan competition. He gave me his idea and asked for my thoughts. That’s when I told him about the concept for Rice Love. He loved it. He decided to focus on the concept of repurposing rice bags into tote bags and giving away rice for every item sold. We worked together on the project, he entered the business plan competition and won first place in the developing country category.

“We love all people and simply look for those who need it most.

If there ever was a graduate that David O. McKay envisioned to help spread peace in India, it would be Coney Pulla.”

LISTENING TO THE HEART Pulla said he had never left his home country before going to the Missionary Training Center in the Philippines. After his two-year mission in Bangalore, India, he was left unsure of where to attend college. At the urging of his mission Graphics by McKenna Zohner

president, Pulla applied to BYUH and was accepted.

In a letter to President John Tanner, Pulla said when he got accepted, he “was so surprised that I couldn’t even concentrate at that time either to work or go study.”

His journey to BYUH was not as easy as his acceptance. Pulla applied for a visa three times and got rejected. In the same letter, he shared how “each rejection was a lesson to learn, and the fourth one was the most perfect interview I had ever had with anyone.”

The fourth try was a success, and Pulla was off to Hawaii.

Initially, adjusting to college in America was not easy,” Pulla said. “I tried computer science, coding and software. Stereotypes make it seem like something every Indian does. I attended one class and knew right away that it wasn't for me. “Later, I changed my major to business management and attended the class.

Again, I felt it wasn’t what I wanted.

Then, one day, I attended a political science class. In the class, I learned college wasn’t just about getting a high-paying job. It was about making a positive impact on the world.

I decided I wanted to find a way to make a positive impact in India.”

The rice jute bags are sold as decorative tote bags and backpacks. Photo by Courtney Nielsen

Pulla’s decision to switch his major to political science, he said, did not please those close to him. “I had so many people, including my father, who were disappointed that I wasn’t doing computer science. The only way I stuck to my choice was by listening to my heart and the passion that drove me towards serving God’s people.

“In addition to that, I always engraved BYUH’s motto in my heart - ‘Enter to learn, go forth to serve.’ That was engraved right in my heart and no matter what I did going forward, I made sure to gain intelligence and knowledge to bless the lives of others.”

THE FUTURE OF RICE LOVE Rice Love has faced difficulties in India, he said, due to some workers being arrested under false charges. Pulla explained, “Some anti-Christian communities charged us of false

accusation that we are giving in pretext of conversion. But we are just giving to others and not trying to convert anyone.”

Pulla is now living in his hometown of Hyderabad with his wife and children, overseeing the supply chain and charity aspects of Rice Love. “The future of Rice love is huge. We made from $200 to $2 million in sales in just three years. We are hoping to make a global change on hunger, doing it one bag and one meal at a time.

“We have given over 40,000 kilos of rice.

There are an equal number of wanderers wearing our bags and sharing our story around the world. Our goal is to give 1 million kilos of rice by the end of 2020. We invite you to join the movement. Buy a bag. Feed a family.”

Amy Rawlings, a senior psychology major from California, is an employee of Rice Love. She said, “It feels so great to work for a company that’s making a difference in the world and helping people. Over the summer,

I had the opportunity to go to India with Rice Love, and I got to meet and interact with many of the families we donated rice to - it was a life-changing experience. It helped me realize the work we are doing is actually meaningful and truly making a difference in the lives of real people.”

Speaking of Pulla and Thomander, Rawlings said, “Coney and Corbin are the kind of employers who are fun and laid-back but also expect a lot from you. Coney is a bigpicture kind of guy. He has a lot of big ideas, but his go-and-get-it-done kind of attitude makes you believe that you can really make it happen.”

Pulla attended the APCC in March and talked about the company. He said he wants to share his personal story and let students know of the internship and employment opportunities available through Rice Love. •

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Students say going to the BYU Jerusalem Center provides context to the gospel but traveling to the Holy Land isn’t necessary to feel close to Christ

BY EMI WAINWRIGHT

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Baxter with one of her finished Zentangles. Photo by Cameron Gardner

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our students who studied abroad in Jerusalem last Fall Semester 2018 shared what they learned about the Savior, themselves, the cultures they encountered, and some of their favorite experiences in the Holy Land. A fifth student said he’s most looking forward to walking where the Savior walked when he attends the BYU Jerusalem Center this Spring Semester 2019.

A faculty member said the greatest advantage of the program is the amount of time it gives students to study the life of the Savior in greater depth.

Eric Marlowe, an associate professor of Religious Education, said he attended the BYU Jerusalem Center 28 years ago. In an email, he shared an analogy he likes to use to explain his experience there: “I’ve always known my dad, but one day in my 20s we went hiking and fishing on a ranch where he worked one summer as a teenager. I saw the fence he put up that summer, we fished the bend in the river that he fished during his time there, and hiked a nearby mountain he had hiked several times. This experience did not necessarily change my appreciation or regard for my dad, but I did feel like I understood and could relate a little more to his life as a youth.”

Marlowe explained how his time abroad in Jerusalem didn’t necessarily change his testimony of the Savior any more than spending a similar amount of time studying Christ’s life at home would have done. “But I do feel the experience has enabled me to understand and relate more to His life and teachings as they correspond to the physical world in which He lived.”

Marlowe added, “The largest advantage I see to a semester in Israel is the amount of time and focus such an experience provides [for] an individual to study in depth the scriptures, teachings, related geography, and cultures, which is generally an amount of time you and I would not dedicate otherwise.”

FINDING A TESTIMONY OF THE SAVIOR Corbin Maciel, a sophomore from Oregon majoring in biochemistry, said being in the Holy Land helped him gain a greater understanding of the Old and New Testaments by providing him with physical and historical

context. “Whenever I see a picture of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane or a picture of Him [healing the man] at the pool of Siloam, I feel an immense sense of gratitude because I was there. But that’s not a key component of a testimony by any means.

“No one needs to go to the Holy Land to have a true testimony of Christ. The most sacred places on the earth are still very much the temples. I wouldn’t sacrifice going to the temple for the Holy Land at any moment in time.

“I’m not trying to minimize my experience. Everything has become much more real to me. I saw those things. The pool of Siloam is there, the Garden of Gethsemane is there, and that’s where the greatest miracle was performed… seeing those things has really affected the way that I read the New Testament… because I’ve seen those places.”

Matthew Jensen, a senior from Oregon majoring in human development at BYU in Provo, said there were some places they visited in the program where he didn’t feel the Spirit.

“It helps to give context in your mind for the scriptures, but I never felt closer to God or felt the Spirit stronger at any of the sites we visited than I do when I go to the temple. That was kind of a testimony builder to me.

“God doesn’t reserve the most spiritual experiences for those who can go to Jerusalem.

He makes them available to everyone… who is worthy to feel those things.”

Lily Hazlett, a sophomore from Utah majoring in hospitality and tourism management, agreed with Jensen. She said it’s interesting visiting all of the sites in the Holy Land where Christ used to be, but people shouldn’t freak out. “Yeah it’s where He walked, but He’s not there right now,” she explained. Like Jensen and Maciel, Hazlett, she compared those feelings with how she feels in the temple, which she said is a place where she knows Christ does walk today.

Jake Henstrom, a junior from Minnesota majoring in peacebuilding, said attending the BYU Jerusalem Center is a great opportunity.

“You don’t need to be there though to have a testimony of Christ. Because of what Christ did in Jerusalem He’s everywhere and you can feel Him anywhere. And that’s the beauty of it…it’s unlike anything else.”

Continued on page 34 Photos of his trip to the Middle East and the BYU APR IL 2019 33 Jerusalem Center by Jake Henstrom, a sophomore from Utah majoring in hospitality and tourism.

Henstrom, like Maciel, Hazlett, and Jensen, attended the program last Fall Semester 2018. He said he loved being surrounded by some of the most devoted and committed people in the world. “I’m talking about Jews, Arabs, and Christians, as well as the students I was surrounded by. They were all super down to earth, spiritual giants and very accepting people.

“I liked how all the students had their own struggles and trials. I was surrounded by people who had known Jesus was real since the day they were born, and I had friends there who started the program completely atheist. They’d lost their belief in God, but for whatever reason, they’d been led to join this program and we all grew together.”

THEIR FAVORITE PLACES AND WHAT THEY LEARNED Maciel said his favorite place to visit in Jerusalem was the Garden of Gethsemane.

“You’d think it would be a really somber and sad experience… but it didn’t have that effect on me. As I pondered on things, I felt a sense of joy like the Savior did it. He overcame sin and death and because of that we can all overcome it.”

When asked about the culture, Maciel said he could definitely recognize a division between the Palestinians and Israelis when he was in Jerusalem. “But they’ve figured out a way to coexist fairly well. The Palestinians stick with Palestinians and Israelis stick with the Israelis… so they’re pretty separate but the cultures are amazing.”

Maciel said people can learn a lot from the Jews’ example of devotion and worship.

“Something that was awesome that I want to apply here… is the way the Jews celebrate the coming in of the Sabbath. For them the Sabbath starts Friday night when the sun goes down and lasts until the sun goes down again on Saturday night.

“Sometimes the typical response is, ‘I’ve got till midnight Saturday night, that’s when the Sabbath starts, but I can do whatever I want up until then…’ We might see Sunday as a day we’re restricted from doing certain things, whereas they see the Sabbath as the most important and glorious day of the week.”

On Friday night, Maciel said the Jewish people could be found in the synagogue 34

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Matthew Jensen and his fiancée Lily Hazlett met in Jerusalem. Photo provided by Matthew Jensen

celebrating. “They’re singing and doing these ritual dances. They’re all happy and excited the Sabbath is happening. And at the end of the Sabbath they’re sad that the best day of the week is over.

“I thought that was an incredible part of the culture… I want to honor the Sabbath by getting to bed early so I can be awake and really pay attention to what I’m doing as I partake of the sacrament and seek to gain greater knowledge of gospel truths.”

Maciel added one of his favorite things he learned from the Palestinians was their reverence for sacred sites and how firm they are in their standards. “Times are changing, dress is more lenient, but they want everyone to be covered and well dressed. I loved the sanctity they had for their sacred sites and I think that’s something we could always be better about. Remembering the true sanctity of our sacred places like the temple or even the chapel of a church building.”

Henstrom said he loved going to the Garden of Gethsemane and visiting the Dome of the Rock, which is a shrine built on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem.

“Any place that I could just be alone and think, ponder and meditate… To be able to feel the Spirit and get so many answers to prayers helped me repair and strengthen my relationship with God.” Henstrom said the classes he took were awesome but attending the BYU Jerusalem Center might not be what everyone is expecting. “It’s not strictly a cultural experience. That’s not the focus of it. It’s very rigorous. The classes and schedule can be really difficult… but you have an opportunity to really look at your testimony and where you’re at and change it… to look at where you stand with God and change it. And that’s the most important thing you’ll do the rest of your life.

That’s how it was for me.”

THE ANTIDOTE TO RACISM Hazlett said her time abroad has helped her gain a different perspective of people. “You get to see people in their homes for who they truly are and not the way society has portrayed them to be.”

“Traveling is the antidote for racism,” said Jensen. “When we were in Greece, I said to Lily, ‘The more traveling I do, the more I realize there are cultural differences, but everywhere people are people. People have lives. They care about things. They have hopes and joys and problems.”

Hazlett added, “Being with different cultures so much it’s eye-opening to see people as people.You start to overlook differences.

We’re all children of God.You find a greater love and respect for other people regardless of where they come from and what they believe.”

When asked why she wanted to attend BYU Jerusalem, Hazlett said she grew up hearing about her mother’s experiences at the Center and always thought it sounded like fun.

But Hazlett said she didn’t seriously consider going until her brother and cousin wanted to apply. “And after living in different countries, I wanted to learn more about other cultures,” she said.

Jensen said he has wanted to go ever since being in Seminary. He said one of his teachers had traveled to Israel and shared his experiences with the class, but years later it was his mother who eventually convinced him to apply for the program. He said she felt prompted to encourage him to pursue his dream of traveling to the Holy Land.

Hazlett and Jensen, who got engaged March 15, first met in the program last semester. “You’re not supposed to date while you’re there,” Jensen admitted. He explained how he and Hazlett were very careful not to do anything culturally insensitive by flaunting their budding relationship. Hazlett and Jensen said everyone knew and supported them but they still wanted to be respectful and focus on their friendship. “We were trying not to be overly obvious about it… We didn’t want to detract from our own experiences or anyone else’s.”

The two laughed as they recounted the story of a wedding announcement they discovered while in Jerusalem of another couple who had met in the program. “It said, ‘They came to find themselves, but instead they

"The largest advantage I see to a semester in Israel is the amount of time and focus such an experience provides [for] an individual to study in depth the scriptures, teachings, related geography, and cultures, which is generally an amount of time you and I would not dedicate otherwise."

- Religion Professor Eric Marlowe found each other,’” recalled Jensen, making his fiancée groan and roll her eyes. They described the wedding announcement as cringe-y and awkward and said it became an inside joke amongst their friends.

Jensen and Hazlett listed several places they loved visiting, including the Sea of Galilee and Capernaum. Hazlett said the day they went to Capernaum there weren’t many people so it was very quiet and peaceful. “There were also a lot of cool historical places we visited that weren’t Biblical,” she said.

One of those places Jensen listed was Petra in Jordan. “We visited a lot of monasteries in Greece,” he said. “You learn about Biblical history but also religious history over the past 200 years.”

WALKING IN THE SAVIOR’S FOOTSTEPS Demetrius De Moors, a senior from Georgia majoring in business management, said he’s excited to attend BYU Jerusalem this Spring Semester because he hopes to one day work in the Middle East.

He said, “The thing I’m most looking forward to is learning more about the Savior’s life, the context of Christ’s story, and the opportunity to walk where the Savior walked… How many chances am I going to have to go live in the Holy Land for four months studying about the history, the geography… and the people who make that place what it is?”

When asked if there was a specific place he’d like to see, De Moors immediately said the Mount of Olives. He briefly explained how growing up in the southern United States he

studied the Bible a lot. He said the Mount of Olives has special meaning to him since the scriptures teach Christ will appear there again at His second coming.

“I think it’d be really cool to stand there and know its historical significance, but there’s also going to be a lot of big events that happen in that very spot in the years to come,” said De Moors.

When describing the application process for BYU Jerusalem, which is online, De Moors said it was easy. He said he had to write a lot of essays that were church related but it only took him 25 minutes. “I was thinking it was going to be more rigorous than it is…I wrote about how I intend to work in the Holy Land in the future, my immense love for studying its history… and [my desire to learn] more about [the Savior] and the context of His life so I can walk in His footsteps.”

In a general conference talk from April 1974, President Thomas S. Monson said, “We need not visit the Holy Land to feel him close to us. We need not walk by the shores of Galilee or among the Judean hills to walk where Jesus walked.

“In a very real sense, all can walk where Jesus walked when, with his words on our lips, his spirit in our hearts, and his teachings in our lives, we journey through mortality.

“I would hope that we would walk as he walked—with confidence in the future, with an abiding faith in his Father, and a genuine love for others.” •

Graphic by Lynne Hardy

Gospel culture unites intercultural marriages Intercultural couples share challenges, what they learned and blessings they received

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Intercultural couples with spouses from the islands of the Pacific to New York City said focusing on their shared gospel convictions makes for successful marriages despite cultural differences ranging from food on the dinner table to difficulty communicating with in-laws in another language. They also said they have been blessed by their marriages to understand more about themselves and learned no one culture is better than another.

Foundation from Christ

Despite differences in cultural backgrounds, married couples said the gospel helps unify them in their marriages. Melina Sy, a junior studying marine biology and Hawaiian studies from Utah, said the gospel helps her marriage, with her husband from the Philippines. “The biggest thing to keep in mind is that you have the gospel culture.

“The little things like manners and food are important, but what’s most important is you share the gospel culture and the eternal vision.

Focus on that because it’s more important than anything else.”

Sy continued, “Even though we have different ideas about a lot of things, and we come from countries with different cultures, we have the gospel culture. That unites us. We both grew up in the church and have those core values that are the same.”

Justin Ioane is a junior accounting major from Samoa, and his wife is from Mongolia. He said, “The thing that brings us together is the principles of the gospel. The gospel helps us to find common ground. Our goals are centered around the gospel, and that holds us together.”

Serena Ioane, a junior majoring in communications from Mongolia, echoed her husband’s comments. She said, “The gospel gives foundation to our family. We met because he was my home teacher. As we were dating we went to the temple together and read our scriptures together every day. Our relationship is based around the gospel.”

According to Ono Ly, a junior majoring in business finance and accounting from Tahiti, said the gospel provides his marriage to his wife whose ethnicity is Mexican but grew up in New York, with a solid foundation. “We are both converts to the gospel, went on missions and the church has helped us a lot to come together. The

Justin Ioane, a junior accounting major from Samoa Serena Ioane, a junior majoring in communications from Mongolia

They dated for eight months, were engaged for one month and have been married 16 months. They have one child who is 6 months old.

Photo by Teva Todd

Kim Sy, a junior studying biomedical science major from the Philippines Melina Sy, a junior studying marine biology and Hawaiian studies from Utah

Kim Sy proposed after three weeks of dating. They were engaged for nine months and they have now been married for eight months.

Photo by Ho Yin Li

Ono Ly, a junior majoring in business finance and accounting from Tahiti Aline Ly, a senior majoring in hospitality and tourism management, Mexican from New York.

They dated for a year and were engaged for four months. They got married in April 2018.

Photo by Ho Yin Li

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gospel culture gives us a strong foundation. It helps us to meet at a certain point.”

Cultural differences met with humility and adjustments

Sy said one of the cultural differences she and her husband face are deciding what to eat. “A big [problem] we have run into is food. We grew up eating totally different foods. I never ate or heard of many of things he eats. Sometimes he’ll cook me things I won’t really like, or I’ll cook him something and he’ll ask me, ‘Where is the rice?’

“It’s not something we fight over. It’s just an adjustment we have had to make.You have to remind yourself just because they don’t like the food doesn’t mean they don’t like you or the traditions.”

Sy’s husband, Kim Sy, a junior studying biomedical sciences from the Philippines, said he has to get used to American culture that differs from his own. “Americans have so many holidays.

There are holidays for everything here, which I’m not used to in the Philippines. Filipinos also don’t call older people by their names. They have titles.”

Talking about the differences between Samoan and Mongolian culture, Justin Ioane said, “The base of our culture is similar, but the way we practice it is quite different. As a Samoan I’m very outspoken, and I like to go outside and be with people, make jokes and have fun. She is a quite different. Mongolians tend to be a bit more reserved.”

Serena Ioane jokingly added, “My mom came here when I gave birth. She doesn’t speak English or Samoan so there was a lot of sign language between my mom and Justin. I’m trying to learn Samoan. I’m taking a Samoan class, and I have Samoan words around the house. He’s trying to learn Mongolian, but that isn’t going very well.”

A cross-cultural problem Aline Ly said she and her husband dealt with was public displays of affection. She is of Mexican descent and a senior majoring in hospitality and tourism management from New York, and he is from Tahiti in the South Pacific. She said, “Being Hispanic we are very touchy feely. We let people know we love them by hugging, holding their hand and stuff.

That’s something he was not used to.”

Deciding where to live after graduating was another issue the couple had to work

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The blending of the couple’s culture creates a new culture, says Aline Ly. Photo by Ho Yin Li

out, said Ono Ly. “She is from a big city. I’m from a small island. We think Hawaii is a good compromise because there are cities here, good work opportunities and also it provides a relaxed island life. We met in the middle on where we want to be.”

BYU–Hawaii Counseling Services employees said although there are no specific programs or groups for intercultural relationships, they have held workshops and outreach events in the past to address intercultural relationships. In those workshops couples were given advice on how to navigate cultural barriers and taught communication skills.

The blessings of intercultural marriage

Kim Sy said although there are some challenges in an intercultural marriage, there are blessings as well such gaining greater understanding of cultures and themselves. “Being in an intercultural marriage, you learn a lot about your own culture too.You see the good and the

bad things about your own culture. We also gain a broader understanding and perspective because of our different backgrounds.”

Adding to her husband’s comments, Melina Sy said, “There is no culture that is better or right. It’s just that some cultures do something differently. There are a lot of fun things we have learned about each other's cultures. He’s learned about American holidays and I have learned a lot about food, and Filipino customs.”

Blending two cultures in a marriage helps create a new culture, according to Aline Ly. She said, “When you get married you make your own culture. As much as you think your culture is more important than who you’re dating or your spouse, you make a new culture together, taking the best parts from your culture and making something truly great and better.”

Serena Ioane encouraged intercultural couples saying, “Follow your heart and be brave.

Don’t be afraid of what others might say. It can be hard at times, but if you can overcome that, the blessings are way greater. Intercultural marriage is amazing. It blesses you in so many ways.” •

Serena and Justin Ioane say the blessings of intercultural marriage outweigh the challenges. Photo by Teva Todd

“The little things like manners and food are important, but what’s most important is you share the gospel culture and the eternal vision.”

- Melina Sy

Deciding what to eat and where to live are some of the issues couples have to work out. Photo by Ho Yin Li APR IL 2019

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D ang ed

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Diffusing ger with ducation

BYU–Hawaii graduate Christopher Udall tries on a keiffiyeh, a traditional scraf, made by Jordanian women who take vocational training classes through the non-profit organization he started and runs with his wife. They want to help at-risk youth who have been recruited by ISIS to have a new chance in life . Photo courtesy of Christopher Udall

BYU–Hawaii alumnus Christopher Udall talks about his humanitarian work in Jordan

BY ELIJAH HADLEY

With their nonprofit organization, Rebuild For Peace, Christopher Udall and his wife, Alison, said they have helped refugees in Jordan by teaching vocational skills and giving atrisk youth a chance at a new life. He has opened 15 schools in Jordan for refugees, he said, and in two years, the organization has raised more than $1 million for its cause.

Udall, president of Rebuild For Peace, shared his story during a presentation in the Aloha Center on Feb. 15. His former photography teacher, Instructor Monique Saenz, gathered students from her classes to hear his story of service and to see his photos.

Saenz told her classes, “I can see this is definitely what we hear about President McKay’s vision of people going out of this school and helping others to establish peace internationally.You can see the hands of Heavenly Father helping him and his wife.”

Udall graduated from BYUH in 2016 with a major in peacebuilding and with certificates in photography and anthropology. Alison Udall, vice president of Rebuild For Peace, worked in refugee camps in Greece before moving to Jordan and meeting her husband.

Udall said his love for the Middle East began when he attended the BYU Jerusalem Center. He said he shifted his focus from photography to human rights and resolving conflict.

RESTORING A CASTLE According to Udall, the day he flew into Jordan, ISIS attacked a 13th century French crusader castle and shot a group of tourists. He said, “What was fascinating and terrible is that the members of ISIS who attacked the castle were also local youth who had been recruited into ISIS.” By using his certificate in anthropology, Udall said he was able to introduce himself to the Jordanian government as a certified cultural anthropologist.

The students in the village of Karak wanted to rebuild the castle, he continued, because they knew the people who attacked it. The students wanted to hang a banner from the walls saying, “In the wake of violent conflict, we will rebuild for peace.” Udall said he was inspired to name his organization from this statement.

Udall said he was able to use his contacts in the government to obtain half a million dollars to give back to the communities. At this point, Udall said he had not founded Rebuild For Peace. However, he said he found a charity to run the money through to start helping people.

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A Jordanian woman holds up a keiffiyeh, a traditional scraf, she made after taking a class in sewing. They can be sold for $40-to-$50 each.

GROWING UP IN ANGER According to Udall, his organization goes to villages with high recruitment statistics for ISIS. Initially he thought he was going to teach vocations like auto repair or welding, but he said most of his students are women. In Jordan, skills such as sewing, cosmetology and clothing manufacture are in demand, he said.

The tribal leaders would tell Udall, “Our daughters are growing up in anger.” This was a common phrase in these communities. Udall said, “It was the women who were unfortunately less educated.”

Udall said he also learned the women were encouraging their male family members to join extremist groups.

Udall explained, “All they, [the women], had to do was go to the mosque and go home. There’s really not any other place for them to go to interact and learn socially.

They would get radicalized in these mosques, go home and encourage their loved ones to do something about what they had been told.”

Rebuild For Peace started to teach more women, although it did have male vocational centers as well. Udall said, “It impacted the community so drastically. My wife is an expert in rural women’s economic development, and 42

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when I started telling her all our centers were for women, she was very excited and put her skills to work.”

GOING TO MA’AN Udall said he visited Ma’an, a village in southern Jordan. According to Udall, the ISIS flag is flown there and the Jordanian embassy dissuades foreigners from visiting.

Despite the embassy insisting he would be killed if he went to Ma’an, Udall decided to go. “I felt I needed to be there. We believe completely that the person facing a problem has a solution. I never went in thinking I could solve their problems simply because I had a peacebuilding degree, but I asked the tribal chiefs what the problem was.”

When the tribal chiefs told Udall their women were growing up in anger, he asked what the women needed and chiefs told him they need something they can do from the home where they can gather as women.

At his talk on campus, Udall showed a picture of a teenage girl named Rima. “She is from Ma’an – a town so conservative, the parents wouldn’t let their daughters attend our programs. The instructor we hired from the community went to every single women’s home

to sign them for our classes, one where they were taught to make keffiyehs.”

A keffiyeh is a traditional headscarf worn by both men and women in Middle Eastern countries. Although they are worn in the Middle East, most modern keffiyehs are made in China, according to Udall.

“Rima started making keffiyehs. She made her first one in six days. [She] sold it for the equivalent of 40 U.S. dollars. She made a second one and sold it for the equivalent of 50 U.S. dollars. That was more than her parents made.

Pretty soon her parents were pretty excited about her working.

“Word got around and soon all of the women showed up. People couldn’t send them to school fast enough,” Udall said. “Our approach is that any student who comes to our school should make money within the first week of being there. That teaches them this is directly valuable, and the more work you get the more financial return.

“Rima is kind of my hero. She started taking this class, making keffiyehs, selling them at tourist sites like Petra, and then she reached out to us in an interview.

"She was making enough money that she’s now paying for her younger sister to go to

Vocational training is empowering the youth of Jordan who have been recruited by ISIS, says Udall.. Photos courtesy of Christopher Udall

university and is about to make enough money to go to university herself."

I can see this is definitely what we hear about President McKay’s vision of people going out of this school and helping others to establish peace internationally.

You can see the hands of Heavenly Father helping him and his wife.

-Monique Saenz

THE SALON IN THE DESERT Udall also showed a picture of a village in the Jordanian desert called Tafilah. It was of a cosmetology salon set up by locals there who had gone through his vocational training.

“That was the first cosmetology salon they'd ever had,” Udall said. “It was a place where women could gather and talk gossip, take off their hijab and let their hair down. The community changed.

A girl’s father mortgaged his home to build the salon and now people travel for miles to it.

Especially women who want to get their hair and make up done for their wedding.”

UDALL’S ADVICE ABOUT CERTIFICATES According to Udall, of all the classes he took at BYUH, photography, videography, graphic design and web page design helped him make the most money. He said, “They helped me start up an organization without having to spend a fortune hiring people to do it for me.

“The certificate programs are absolutely worth their weight in gold, even if you have to take some time [to complete them]. Even

though I’m definitely not the best photographer, videographer or web page designer, it got our foot in the door, made us look professional and helped us get a lot more money for our organization. Our blog and webpage is run by my wife and some British interns.”

Speaking of certificates, Udall said, “It’s important.You never know where they’re going to take you. The certificate I got in videography and photography helped me when I first got to Jordan.

“It gave me journalist status within the kingdom, meaning I was allowed to enter a refugee camp. They’re kind of locked down like military bases and very difficult to get into. I needed to get in to do some work for Rebuild For Peace.”

Zipporah Kwok, a junior from Hong Kong majoring in graphic design and psychology, said, “[Udall] is just an ordinary guy, but he was able to make such a connection with the people in Jordan.

Even the leader of the country recognized what he did for Jordan. It was really inspiring to me. It made me think how I could do great things too.”

On the Rebuild For Peace website, there is a blog where visitors can read about each of the women whose lives have changed because of the vocational skills they were taught. It also includes their stories and what motivates them, said Udall. •

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Students Toni Shipp, Sabrina Domrique and Jackie Morris discuss embracing their hair. Photos by Ho Yin Li

Hair is an extension of our culture African-American students share the meaning behind their hair and how others could be more sensitive

BY WILL KRUEGER African-American students shared encounters with people making unwelcomed advances and touching their hair. According to these students, they welcome curiosity knowing their hair styles are rare sights on campus. However, they said instead of being talked to because they are different, they want to be asked about their culture.

Sabrina Domrique, a junior majoring in peacebuilding from Oklahoma, said hair is special to different cultures. “Hair is an extension of culture, of myself and how I express myself.”

Domrique added, “Hair is something that is worn traditionally, like a way clothing is worn traditionally. It’s a way to unify within the culture. Hair is an expression of culture. It’s a representation of culture, but it isn’t all who we are.”

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At times, Domrique said, “I feel like a museum exhibit because people just stare at my hair or want to touch it. People kind of treat you like a zoo animal, they just want to touch your hair and objectify you.You look so different to them. “ When I embrace my natural hair, sometimes I feel like I’m a walking novelty.

People will come and talk to me, just because I look different and they classify me as exotic.”

Domrique said attention drawn to her hair has made her feel different. “People have conversation with me only because of my hair.

It’s the only thing that interests them. That makes me feel disheartened because I’m more than my hair.”

Standing up against being objectified for her hair, Toni Shipp, a communications major

from California, said, “If you’re fascinated by our hair, we aren’t offended. The thing is, I’m not a dog. I don’t want to be a pet. I’ve had people unwelcomingly come up to me and just grab my hair and touch it.

“I don’t want people touching my hair. I don’t know where your hands have been. It takes so long to get it done. People can just mess it up easily. It’s kind of frustrating and disrespectful. It makes us feel like some kind of object.”

Jackie Morris, a junior majoring in social work from Virginia, said, “When I put it in braids, or if I have my natural hair out, people will just go and touch it. ” Recalling an encounter when someone touched her hair, Morris said, “I was waiting outside for class my first semester. I had it out in a ‘fro.’ This girl comes up to me, who I’ve never

met in my life and started touching my hair. She was like, ‘Wow, I love it. Can we take a picture?’

I’m thinking, ‘I don’t even know you.’”

Redefining identity

Shipp shared on the importance of hair in African-American culture: “Our hair is a large part of who we are. It’s identity. Our hair was deemed by others for a long time as ugly, unkempt and not nice. We came to a point where we fully accept our hair and style it in different ways to own it, as a way to reconnect to the roots that were ripped from us.”

With Shipp’s thoughts in mind, Domrique said, “Some people identify with their hair. Some people don’t. It’s a personal choice. I think too often people are classified by their hair. I have very African-American hair, but I’m not just African-American. I love that I have AfricanAmerican hair and I love that part of me, but it’s not all I am.

“It’s a hard balance because people are curious,” Domrique said. “It’s okay for people to be curious. I think it’s about asking the right questions. Ask more questions that relate back to the culture, rather than talking about it just because it looks different.” •

Graphic by Lynne Hardy

The students noted when someone touches their hair, they feel like they are a “zoo animal.” Photo by Ho Yin Li

“Our hair is a large part of who we are. It’s identity...We came to a point where we fully accept our hair and style it in different ways to own it, as a way to reconnect to the roots that were ripped from us.”

- Toni Shipp

APR IL 2019

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From missionaries to pig purveyors Missions inspire students to co-found program helping Filipinos out of poverty

BY WILL KRUEGER

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BYUH students interact with Filipinos to help them become more self-reliant. Photos courtesy of Alysha Gurr and Jordan Richards.

Founders of Pigs for Prosperity, the winner of the “impact” category at the 2019 “Empower Your Dreams” competition, said winning was going to further there mission to help people in the Philippines become self-reliant.

They shared it was a blessing seeing there project, which was influenced from mission experiences, grow into something wellrespected.

The team said since August 2018, they have given piglets to five families. With the $5,000 won from the competition, they shared they want to start a piggery, so the project can impact more people in the country where 25 million live people in poverty.

Preparing for the competition Before they presented their project, the team traveled to the Philippines and spent about six days there. Jordan Richards, a sophomore studying business management from New Zealand and who is spearheading the Pigs for Prosperity team, said its vision is to help Filipinos build better sustainable lives for themselves.

In regards to the trip, he said, “We had interviews and met with a lot of people. We met with the local head of agriculture, and the mayor there and a big Filipino supply feed company.”

Talking about what they achieved through their trip, Jadan Watson, a recent BYUH graduate from California and the third member of the initial class group, added, “We were able to gather so much more information to have a better idea of how things run here. Also, [we learned] how we can really incorporate the project into this area.”

A member of the team, Alysha Gurr, a senior social work major from Canada, said the most rewarding aspect of the project for her was meeting the families, seeing their gratitude, and the hope they had.

One of the team members said during its presentation when back at BYUH, “We learned about several similar projects that failed in the area.You can’t just go over there and give people stuff then leave.You have to teach people selfreliance.” The presenter added, “For now, we are focusing on one Barangay [village]. When we got there, people were already building pig pens.

We are looking to start a piggery, which is a pig farm. We want to make a center where people can learn, receive training and work.”

From this eight-month-long project Richards expressed, “One thing I’ve learned is you don’t need to be amazingly skilled to help people.You just need a good desire and drive to help people, and you can do it.”

Watson shared similar sentiments. “The day we were able to meet the families ... became so much more real, and because of that I’m more determined to help this work go forward.”

Giveback policy Part of the Pigs for Prosperity plan, Richards stated, was to figure out a way to make it sustainable.“The program has a giveback policy.

The families are required to give two piglets back to the program, but then those pigs are given out to another family in the community.”

He added, giving families piglets, along with feed, for about four months “provides a stable income, hopefully for the families that raise the pigs. We give them the pigs to raise, then they get pregnant and breed more pigs.”

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Before competing, the team traveled to the Philippines and saw their program in action. Photo courtesy of Alysha Gurr and Jordan Richards

Mission influences Roberts said part of the inspiration to help the Philippines came because he served as a missionary in the Philippines Tacloban Mission from 2015 to 2017. Using the contacts he made on his mission, Richards said he was able to establish the program, build connections, find pigs and help make the idea become a reality.

“We found families through people I knew from my mission. I got into contact with a facilities manager for the church in Tacloban, and other people in the Philippines, to find people and help.”

Richards said, “Our big hope is that the entire community can become self-reliant – to have a second means of income to provide for their basic needs.”

He said the project was close to his heart.“I saw children starving out there, and I realized that everything we take for granted, they didn’t have. Working everyday out there I knew that I wanted to do something to help those people.”

Richards continued, “When I came to BYU–Hawaii two months after my mission, I was always thinking of ways that I could help. I was always going to Enactus, but I was a bit lost, not sure what to do, but I was always looking for a way.”

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“One thing I’ve learned is you don’t need to be amazingly skilled to help people. You just need a good desire and drive to help people, and you can do it.”

- Jordan Richards

Real-world learing It wasn’t until he took a social entrepreneurship class that Richards said he received the opportunity to help.

Gurr added,“The requirement of the class was a social focus. We wanted to help alleviate poverty, to find a way to give back. It started as a class project that turned to something bigger.”

Richards said, “We were put into groups of three. It was me, Alysha Gurr and Jadan Watson. We added a few others later. It was part of the class work to work in teams and start a crowdfunding project.”

As the team worked hard, the project took off and Gurr said they raised about $2,500 in a few weeks. “We had an open mic night at Penny’s Malasadas, an indiegogo online campaign, and I also cut hair and had my customers pay to the indiegogo online campaign.” • Trip to the Philippines Lessons learned and the future of the projec

Religion APR IL 2019

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YinPhyu Lwin shared she grew spiritually by her travel dilemma. Photo by Cameron Gardner

YinPhyu Lwin's flight of faith from Myanmar to Laie BYUH students ‘stand close together and lift where [they] stand’ to help freshman in need

BY EMI WAINWRIGHT YinPhyu Lwin, from Myanmar, was on her way to Oahu to start her first semester at BYU–Hawaii when she was prevented from boarding her connecting flight from Hong Kong to Japan due to visa issues. Although it was a stressful, she said because of students and faculty’s service, she learned more about how God uses others to do his work.

Lwin, a freshman and elementary education major, said she found herself

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stranded all alone in Hong Kong. She didn’t speak the language, her family was in Myanmar more than 1,000 miles away and all of her luggage was gone. But she said one miracle after the next guided her journey.

When she finally arrived in Laie with nothing but the clothes on her back and a bag containing personal items, students and faculty of BYUH came together to serve Lwin in her time of need.

“I was freaking out. I didn’t know what to do. I don’t speak Chinese or anything, so I was afraid,” Lwin recalled of her experience at the airport.

Lwin said she called her friend, BYUH alumna Olive Salerno, who is also from Myanmar. “Olive and her husband helped me get another ticket to go to Shanghai.” From Shanghai, Lwin said she was able to finally make her way to Honolulu after nearly an

18-hour-long layover. However her luggage had to be left behind in Asia.

Ei Ei “Ruth” Phyu, a freshman double majoring in finance and human resources, is another student from Myanmar who Lwin said she turned to for help when her travel plans went awry. “She told me she couldn’t bring her luggage, so she was crying. I told her it would be okay.”

Before she arrived, emails were sent and calls were made to various members of the faculty about her situation. Phyu said she let Financial Aid and Admissions know about Lwin’s predicament so the necessary arrangements could be made for her to be picked up from the airport after she landed.

Three women who helped Lwin are Janey Grover, senior manager of the Residential Life Administration, Sister Michelle Webb, a full-time missionary currently serving with her husband as Lwin’s Hale parents, and Jenny Velasco, a sophomore majoring in social work from the Philippines.

Grover emailed the Webbs and their residential advisors to let them know Lwin would be coming and needed help. Velasco was the RA working in the office when Lwin arrived to check into her Hale.

Velasco said Lwin looked tired but said she felt good because so many people were helping her. “Ruth was with her. I explained everything to them and what they needed to do to sort things out.” She laughed and shook her head. “There really wasn’t much that I did.

I just checked her in actually. And gave her some shoes.”

Webb said she was so touched by Lwin’s story she wrote her friends and family back home in Utah about it. She said she was blown away by all the help they wanted to send to Lwin from the mainland.

“Everybody who hears this story has jumped in. People will come to your aid, like they have for her. We’re all together in this. We’re all LDS. We’re all walking home together. She’s one of those people walking home with us…

“It took faith for her to get on that airplane without her stuff. A lot of kids would never have done that. But she believed, ‘If I get on this plane, someone will be on the other end who will help me.’”

"It took faith for her to get on that airplane without her stuff. A lot of kids would never have done that.”

- Sis. Michelle Webb The Housing Department’s Janey Grover said Lwin's story shows BYUH students are always ready to serve. Photo by Cameron Gardner

Grover said she received an email from the Dean’s office explaining Lwin’s unique circumstances. Due to her position in the Housing Department, she was asked to help Lwin get the things she would need while she waited for her luggage to be sent to her at a later date.

Grover said she immediately contacted the Give & Take, run by S.W.A.T.T., to arrange a time she could bring Lwin by to get a few things. “I think where the real magic happened wasn’t with anything that happened on an administrative level. It’s what happened with the students who helped her get here.”

Grover said she was impressed with Phyu, Salerno and her husband, and Lwin’s roommate Abish Tarrobago and Tarrobago’s friend Charlene Lee. Tarrobago and Lee are both from the Philippines, and like Lwin are freshman brand new to campus. Grover said, “These were students who hadn’t been here long themselves ... who didn’t really know each other, but they stepped in with this girl who’d just arrived and were there to support her. My role was just making the connections.”

Lee, an elementary education major, said she was visiting Tarrobago, who is majoring in cultural anthropology, in her room when they first heard about Lwin. “When we found out she [needed] help… what went through my mind was, ‘I don’t think she just needs material things. I think right now she needs a friend.’ I wanted to help her feel welcome and that people actually care.”

Lee said she had a long journey too and knows how hard it is coming to a new place. “Yin had it way worse than me, so I

said, ‘Okay, let’s do this together. Let’s do it with her.’ She was tired, went through a lot and needed succor both temporally and emotionally, so Abish and I willingly served her. Yin’s awesome. She’s so pure, she’s quiet and smiles so much.”

Grover, along with Lee and Tarrobago, helped Lwin find clothes at the Give & Take.

Grover said, “I think she just wanted to sleep, but we had so much fun because the three of us got in, nobody else was there, except for Joseph, and we started looking for clothes for her… Yin just wanted enough to get herself started until her things came.”

Joseph Pushnam, a senior from Malaysia double majoring in business and accounting, was the S.W.A.T.T. employee working at the Give & Take the day Lwin came in.

Pushnam said he was not supposed to be there because the Give & Take is normally closed at the time they came. “It was unusual.

I suggested during that week, for some reason… that we should be open after the normal hours.”

Grover said when she didn’t hear back from anyone about her plans to bring Lwin to the Give & Take, she felt impressed to go anyway to check if the key she had still worked. “When I got over there, the lock that my key fit wasn’t there anymore, but Joseph was and he actually stayed to help us.”

Pushnam said if he had not been there Grover would have had no way to unlock the gate and get inside. “I wouldn’t say there was a lot of revelation and crazy ministering of angels, but Heavenly Father provides people along the way.”

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Grover described the whole experience as a ripple effect. She said she thinks the Lord’s hand was definitely in the whole process guiding Lwin and placing the right people in her path, like Phyu and Salerno, who were able to help her before she ever boarded the plane.

Grover said Pushnam did not help them pick out clothes, but he was involved in helping them track down other things Lwin needed. “One of the cool things I remember him saying was, ‘Do you have your scriptures?’

And she didn’t, and that was really important to her, so he was able to find scriptures for her.”

Lwin said she got a set of scriptures from the Give & Take but she wanted a triple combination because it’s easier to have the books altogether. She said another prayer was answered, “One of the missionaries in Academic Advising had been praying [for an opportunity] to give her triple combination to somebody. Ruth told her I wanted one so she gave it to me.” Lwin said another thing she was hoping to find at the Give & Take was a rice cooker, but they couldn’t find one. She then said it wasn’t long before someone gave her one of those too.

Lwin said, “I’ve never had an experience like this in my life. Everyone has been really kind and this has strengthened my testimony so much.” Lwin said because of the example of her new friends, she’s been inspired to help other people too.

Phyu said she’s grateful for the people who were ready and willing to help Lwin in her time of need. “I think [it’s human nature to] have that instinct to help someone. For her it was a terrifying experience, but for us it was a great blessing to help her. She’s here and studying, and she’s enjoying her student life. I just want to thank everyone who’s helped her because she’s like my little sister.”

Webb, along with Phyu, helped Lwin get the job she now has working at the Polynesian Cultural Center in the Food Pantry.

Lwin said she was worried she would not be able to get a job because she was so late arriving for the New Student Orientation so she turned to God for help. “This is like an answer to my prayers. I got into my interview and there were only two vacant jobs left.

Lwin remembers the Give & Take gave her scriptures after she could not bring her luggage.

Photo by Cameron Gardner

"It's important to us to try to change that, and also change how we do things. We want to be able to lift and serve students better. That's the heart of who we are."

- Janey Grover

Lwin says she is one of the first students from Myanmar. Photo by Cameron Gardner 52

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I could choose either the Food Pantry or dishwasher.” A big smile crossed her face as she added, “So I chose the Food Pantry.”

Webb said because of her job Lwin was able to bring food home so she had something to eat until she could make it to the grocery store.

Now that she has clothes, food and a job, Lwin said she’s settling into her new life at BYUH. “I really love it. BYU–Hawaii is different than other universities. It is such an awesome place to study, and the people here are so kind. This experience has strengthened my testimony of relying on Heavenly Father even through hard times.”

Grover said Lwin’s story is a perfect example of the new motto she wants the Housing Department to adopt, “Stand close together and lift where you stand,” inspired by a talk given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

She said, “We want to start a movement that’s about students coming together to help students… Yin’s story is incredible, and there have to be other stories out there like hers of students helping students.

“It’s sad because students don’t always support… and lift each other. It’s important to us to try to change that, and also change how we do things. We want to be able to lift and serve students better. That’s the heart of who we are.”

Not only is Lwin one of the first students from Myanmar to come to BYUH, but she’s also, according to Phyu, one of the first converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that make up their small branch. Lwin served in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission and said she is so excited to share her experience with the students of BYUH. •

APRIL 2019 GENERAL CONFERENCE

"Now, as president of His Church, I plead with you who have distanced yourselves from the Church and with you who have not yet really sought to know that the Savior’s Church has been restored. Do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves. Please do it now. Time is running out.”

-President Russell M. Nelson

AT A GLANCE NEW TEMPLES

CHURCH UNITS Stakes: 3,383 Missions: 407 Districts: 547 Wards/Branches: 30,536

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Total: 16,313,735 2018 children of record: 102,102 2018 converts: 234,332

MISSIONARIES: Full-time: 65,137 Church-service: 37,963

TEMPLES: Dedicated in 2018: 2 (Concepción Chile and Barranquilla Colombia) Rededicated in 2018: 2 (Houston Texas and Jordan River Utah)

Neiafu, Tonga Pago Pago, American Samoa Okinawa City, Okinawa Budapest, Hungary (14th in Europe)

Antofagasta, Chile San Pedro Sula, Honduras Tooele Valley, Utah (will be Utah’s 21st temple) Moses Lake, Washington

162

Total number of operating temples as of April 2019

NEW GENERAL AUTHORITY SEVENTIES i. Elder Rubén V. Alliaud ii. Elder Jorge M. Alvarado iii. Elder Hans T. Boom iv. Elder L. Todd Budge v. Elder Ricardo P. Giménez vi. Elder Peter M. Johnson vii. Elder John A. McCune viii. Elder James R. Rasband ix. Elder Benjamin M. Z. Tai x. Elder Alan R. Walker *55 new Area Seventies were also called

47

Number of temples announced or currently under construction

NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL GENERAL PRESIDENCY i. Brother Mark L. Pace ii. Brother Milton Camargo iii. Brother Jan E. Newman *replaced Brothers Tad R. Callister, Devin G. Durrant, and Brian K. Ashton who served as presidency for five years

209

Total temples worldwide

“PIONEER ERA TEMPLES” Plans to renovate Salt Lake Temple, Temple Square, and the adjoining plaza near the Church Office Building. In addition to the St. George Temple, the Manti and Logan Temples will also be renovated in coming years.

Information gathered by Emi Wainwright Graphics by McKenna APR IL 2019Locken 53

Finding the Church as Buddhists in Mongolia Mongolian students who were brought up as Buddhists say the gospel answered their questions

BY ELIJAH HADLEY

Graphics by Lynne Hardy

Students from Mongolia who were Buddhist described the difficult choice to convert from the religion they had grown up in. In the stories they shared, they highlighted the ways Buddhism gave them their basic sense of morality.

The Church gave a deeper insight into where they came from and why they were here on earth. They said the gospel of Jesus Christ gave them answers to their spiritual questions.

“There’s truth in every religion,” said Altanshagai Enkhbat, a sophomore from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia majoring in business.

“Growing up in a Buddhist culture prepared me to be a part of the church. I got the same

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lessons as a child, and when I was baptized, those lessons made my testimony stronger.”

Enkhbat is among the Mongolian students at BYU-Hawaii who converted from Buddhism.

These students were asked how they made the decision to leave their faith to join another.

What is Buddhism

Buddhism began in the late 6th century B.C.E., according to AsiaSociety.org, when an Indian prince who left his home full of riches and saw the suffering happening outside of his palace. The prince, Siddhartha Gautama, observed more suffering around the world and ended up meditating under a tree until he

reached enlightenment. He was known as the Buddha, or “the enlightened one.”

After the Buddha’s death, his followers formed monasteries and spread the religion all over Asia through missionary work. Due to differences in local customs and language, sects of Buddhism began to form in other countries.

According to a study by BBC Worldwide, Buddhism has approximately 376 million followers around the world. Brought into Mongolia from Tibet, more than 53 percent of its people are Buddhist, according to a 2010 national census, with only 2.1 percent identifying as Christian.

Growing Up Buddhist

Ulziibayar Badamdorj, a sophomore majoring in information technologies, explained Mongolian Buddhism has0 two separate sects. “There are two streams of Buddhism. We called them red and yellow.

One based on practice and [the other] is based mantra (prayer). The second stream, [mantra], is very strong in Mongolia.”

Saruul Ochirbat, a freshman psychology major also from Ulaanbaatar, said he learned his morals through Buddhism. “It was similar to Christianity actually,” he said. “We were taught not to kill or steal and not to harm animals.

“A lot of people in Mongolia say they are Buddhist but rarely go to the temple or practice religion actively. When I was young, I observed that while a lot of people worship at the temple, they are only just going through the motions. They wear the prayer beads and recite the mantras but do not really delve deeply.”

Ochirbat remarked how the core philosophies of Buddhism are simple. He said, “over the years people add more to it and care about the little details.” He noted was similar to the Pharisees at the time of Jesus Christ.

“Of course, not every Buddhist is like this.

There are millions of faithful members who make it a big part of their lives. This is just my experience,” Ochirbat said. “I did meet monks who came from India to study in Mongolia.

They said in some ways, Mongolian Buddhism was off the path. The people worshipped rituals but forgot the main philosophies.”

Reflecting on her childhood in a Buddhist family, Enkhbat said, “I liked the story of the Buddha being enlightened. I hoped I could be enlightened through meditation like him. I thought the temples and idols were beautiful.

“My family was kind of an inactive Buddhist family. Like most Mongolian families, we would only go the temple once a year to receive a blessing from the monks. I was a curious child.

A lot of the time I’d wonder why people prayed to idols they made in their hands.”

Despite growing up Buddhist, Badamdorj said he was looking for something higher and wondered where he could find his answers.

"I feel like growing up in a Buddhist culture prepared me to be apart of the church. I got the same lessons as a child, and when I was baptized, those lessons made my testimony stronger."

“Many people went to the Buddhist monastery to solve their problems. They say certain prayers for money, jobs and even to find a husband or wife. I always asked myself why we couldn’t pray just by ourselves? Why we needed monks to pray for us?

“I always looked for the true God when I was a child. I always felt there was something higher above us. When I met with the missionaries [for the] first time, they told me about prayer and the eternal family. When they were talking to me, I felt I found what I had been [seeking] for a long time. This was the beginning of my conversion story.”

Making The Change

“Even though I had a good childhood,” Enkhbat said, “I didn’t feel like I had a real connection with Buddha or any god. I just knew there was something out there. I believed in a heaven I could not see or understand.”

Enkhbat said the difference between Mongolian Buddhism and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were the answers the Church gave her about her purpose on earth. “The church teaches us that worshiping our crafts is not right. As soon as I heard that teaching, I felt like I’d known it all my life.”

At the time of his conversion, Ochirbat said he was at a low point in his life. “I was going through a very hard time,” he said. “I felt like I was trapped and couldn’t get out. I thought, ‘Maybe there is a god?’ but Buddhism could not give me the help I needed. I dropped out of school and was unemployed. I had no direction

for the future and wanted something greater.”

Ochirbat’s aunt was a member of the Church, and after being trapped in what he described as “being stuck at the bottom,” he tried to go to church. When he attended sacrament meeting, he said, “the members seemed to shine in a way I can’t describe. They were nice and I wanted to be a part [of it].”

Reflections

“Christians and Buddhists have more in common than they have differences,” Ochirbat said. “Buddhism has the Eightfold path while our church has the Ten Commandments. They tell us similar things, like not to kill or steal.”

Enkhbat said, “I have had a very unique life so far, but growing up Buddhist gave me a lot of important lessons, and joining the church only makes my faith in God stronger.” •

Graphics by Lynne Hardy APR IL 2019

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Found in Translation Two BYU-Hawaii students from Myanmar helped translate the Book of Mormon into their own language of Bermese

BY ELIJAH HADLEY

Graphics by Lynne Hardy

Until recently members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Myanmar lacked access to a translation of the Book of Mormon in their own Burmese language. The saints in Myanmar could only read the Book of Mormon in English. Ruth Phyu, a freshman finance major from Myanmar, said she served as part of the committee to translate the book into Burmese. It is now available on Gospel Library app.

When she was first introduced to the Church at age 18, Phyu said she preferred to read the King James Version of the Bible because it was available in Burmese and was easier for her to understand. “When I first read the Book of Mormon, it was in English. The church in my home city offered free English 56

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classes taught by a senior missionary couple. I went there to learn better English but months later, I started investigating the Church.”

For Phyu, reading the Book of Mormon in English was a challenge as opposed to the Bible. “I wasn’t really sure if I could read the whole Book of Mormon,” she said. “I spoke no English. A lot of the words in the book like ‘nevertheless’ were hard to understand."

When she read from the Book of Mormon, she said she would have a dictionary to help her understand words she didn’t know. “It was such a long process trying to read God’s word in a language I could barely understand.”

YinPhyu Lwin, a freshman also from Myanmar majoring in elementary education, said she had a similar experience reading the

Book of Mormon in English. “When I read for the first time, I had no idea. I looked at the dictionary, but it was still hard to understand.

There were so many deep words. I asked the senior missionaries to read with me.

They ended up making a group of people to read every Sunday. We read together and the missionaries could explain for us.”

Phyu said three years ago, the Church began to make plans for an official Burmese translation of the Book of Mormon. “At the time we had been doing unofficial translations for the members in the branches. The missionaries would translate the parts they used most often, like the famous scriptures.

“Brother Wall from Utah came over from the Book of Mormon translation team and

began interviewing people for the translation project. I was brought on as part of the team while they began the translation process.” Along with Phyu, Lwin was also made a part of the reviewing team.

Originally Phyu believed a translation from English to Burmese would be easy. Previously the members in Myanmar had translated the written word of the Book of Mormon into whatever best fit for them. This resulted in mistranslations, she said.

“With the translation team’s guidelines, everything is so strict,” Phyu said. “We had to translate the text into Burmese like it was.

We could not add anything or change around the meaning of certain words. It was hard, but very few things were lost in translation during the process.

“In the Book of Mormon, there are a lot of phrases which begin with ‘for behold,’ ‘and it came to pass’ or ‘nevertheless.’ In Burmese, these words and phrases have a different meaning, and it seemed awkward to add them in, but we [the translators] did it anyway. Small details and words needed to be kept. In our language the translation still carries the same meaning over into English.

“We had one main translator and three reviewers, plus an ecclesiastical counselor.

Once we finished translating, the translation would be sent to Church headquarters for review. It would come back to us to review again. I was the second reviewer, who would take a look at any errors and send it over to the main translator. The main translator would look at my notes and pray about them. We had to repeat this process two or three times.”

According to Lwin, having the Book of Mormon translated to Burmese is so important to have. "Most of the people in Myanmar can’t read the Book of Mormon in English. They have to rely on the missionary to read with them in the Book of Mormon class that is only once a week on Monday. Also missionaries in Myanmar are so happy because they can share and teach their investigators in Burmese. It’s much easier for those people to feel the Spirit.”

Jared Butler, a sophomore from California double majoring in marketing and graphic design served his mission in Myanmar. When asked about the benefits of having the Book of Mormon available in

“The church is going to spread more rapidly. Having the Book of Mormon in their language will help more people hear about the gospel and join the church."

Graphics by Lynne Hardy

Burmese, he responded enthusiastically. “On my mission, teaching was very hard because we had to teach with an English Book of Mormon and then translate everything we read on the spot for people. The people there have extreme amounts of faith, and [they] have been prepared and are waiting to hear the gospel.

“The church is young there and being a Buddhist dominated country for centuries, their language does not have some gospel words found in English.

“There is no word for repentance or atonement or other words need to be understood in order to gain a testimony.

Every person we taught, we had to explain thoroughly to them multiple times what we were trying to say.

“The church is going to spread more rapidly. Having the Book of Mormon in their language will help more people hear about the gospel and join the church. It will also be easier for members to study the gospel and keep their testimony alive.” •

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Indexing for Laie Temple centennial celebration Missionary Couple teaches others on how to index Hawaiian language records

BY ALYSSA ODOM

Graphics by Lynne Hardy

Leaders from the Laie Record Operation Center have been teaching indexing classes at BYU–Hawaii during March and April in preparation for the centennial celebration of the Laie Hawaii Temple in November. Members of the class are only indexing Hawaiian records, said the leaders, striving to find records of those with Hawaiian heritage or whom spent their lives in Hawaii.

Elder and Sister Mcfarland, the Record Operation Center leads, teach the classes and assist attendees with their questions. Sister McFarland said, “Most of the people attending this class are members or leaders of local stakes who hold callings related to indexing and family history. They come here to learn and practice then take back the things they have learned to their ward and stake members.”

“One of our main goals for this class,” said Sister Mcfarland, “is to fulfill the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 128:24.” The scripture reads, “Let us present... a book containing the

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records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.”

Mcfarland said this experience is both intellectually and spiritually uplifting for those participating. “Sometimes indexing can be hard and frustrating. There are times I’ve had staff tell me they get something smudged, really unreadable, then they say a short prayer saying, ‘We need you. Do you want your names to be recorded?’ They take a deep breath, look again, and it’s clear as day.”

The temple and family history consultant indexing lead in the Laie Hawaii North Stake, Luana Kotobalavu, said she is also there to assist, learn and take back knowledge to the members of her stake. Kotobalavu exclaimed, “We need you. Indexing can be fun.”

She said she is striving to encourage all, no matter the age or circumstance, to give indexing a try. “I really want to involve all age groups but especially the older people.

They have so much to offer with their great knowledge of the Hawaiian language and names.” Many of the records being indexed are only available in the Hawaiian language.

The five categories being indexed are death, birth, land grantor and grantees, passports and naturalization, said Kotobalavu.

Knowing that many people, especially those of the older generations, are uncertain about using the indexing technology, Kotobalavu said she is dedicating herself to helping invite others to join. “[I am doing] my part to build their confidence and show them just how simple and rewarding it really is.”

One student attending the class, Atalina Moala, a member of Kahuku 3rd Ward, said she has learned a lot after one class of indexing.

“This class has been a great help to me as I have had no prior experience with indexing. It really breaks it down and simplifies it for me. Elder and Sister McFarland are such a great help. They teach us all the rules and answer my questions.”

Her commitment to take the indexing class, said Moala, has really helped her to have a greater desire to do indexing. “At first I was so lost, but now that I understand what I’m doing I just want to keep indexing. It’s such a good feeling to accomplish.”

Sister Mcfarland said, “When President Nelson says, ‘We need to help those both beyond the veil and here;’ We know it is true because we’re doing this work. We hope those who do indexing are feeling that spirit rather than just doing it to accomplish a certain number of names. We prefer accuracy and quality work rather than quantity and numbers.” • Left: Sister and Elder Mcfarland are teaching indexing on campus. Above: Sis. Mcfarland works with people in a lab at the Aloha Center. Photos by Chad Hsieh

"We need to help those both beyond the veil and here."

Elder Mcfarland helps a participant learn to read Hawaiian language records. Photo by Chad Hsieh

“Sometimes indexing can be hard and frustrating. There are times I’ve had staff tell me they get something smudged, really unreadable, then they say a short prayer saying, ‘We need you. Do you want your names to be recorded?’ They take a deep breath, look again, and it’s clear as day.”

“I really want to involve all age groups but especially the older people. They have so much to offer with their great knowledge of the Hawaiian language and names.”

“One of our main goals for this class, is to fulfill the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 128:24.” The scripture reads, “Let us present ... a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.”

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by Cameron Gardner Toni Shipp, a sophomorePhoto communications major from California, talks about her hair style and its connection to her culture in a story on p. 44. Photo by Ho Yin Li