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Spirit of Aloha at BYU-Hawaii

Elder Scott spells out keys to success and happiness to graduates in Laie

LAIE, Hawaii — Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve used the letters of the Hawaiian word aloha to teach the nearly 300 BYU-Hawaii graduates in the Cannon Activities Center on June 24 five keys to success and happiness:

A is for Attitude. "Your life will be full of opportunities and challenges. Your attitude will determine how well you will meet them as well as how much they will fortify your character and capacity to succeed," Elder Scott said. "Let your predominant attitude be faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, confidence in His teachings, trust in His ability to keep His promises and reliance on His capacity to inspire, motivate and guide you."

L is for Love. "The highest priority of life should be love of Father in Heaven and His Holy Son, Jesus Christ, manifest in obedience to Their teachings. Love of spouse, children, and parents should be the next priority," he continued. "Pure love bridges deep cultural differences, heals heartache, increases compassion, and solidifies the bonds of friendship. It is the strongest and most effective influence to settle dispute, calm anger, soften hate, and resolve serious misunderstanding."

O is for Ordinances. "Today I emphasize the ordinances of the temple. One of the most beautiful, comforting doctrines of the Lord, one that brings immense peace, happiness and unbounded joy, is the principle of eternal marriage. If you have not already received the ordinances of the temple, decide now that at the appropriate time you will obtain them all. Don't let anything overcome that decision," Elder Scott said.

"If you are single and haven't identified a solid prospect for celestial marriage, live for it. Pray for it. Expect it in the timetable of the Lord. Do not compromise your standards so as to lose that blessing."

H is for Home and Family. "Your home should always be a haven of peace free of conflict and dissension. It is in your home where the gospel is most effectively taught and lived. Make the place where you live, no matter how humble or temporary, the embodiment of a clean and righteous environment where the Spirit can dwell," Elder Scott counseled.

He also encouraged the graduates to "obey this principle: Make your first priority your membership in the Church of Jesus Christ, and His teachings the foundation of your life. Where traditions and customs are in harmony with His teachings, they should be cherished and followed to preserve your culture and heritage. Where family or national traditions or customs conflict with the teachings of God, throw them away."

A is for Atonement. "Peace and happiness are the precious fruits of a righteous life. They are only possible because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ," Elder Scott continued, outlining the need for mercy to satisfy the justice of every broken law. "That mercy is attainable by continual repentance and obedience to the laws of Jesus Christ.

"By understanding the Atonement, you will see that God is not a jealous being who delights in persecuting those who misstep. He is an absolutely perfect, compassionate, understanding, patient, and forgiving Father. He is willing to entreat, counsel, strengthen, lift and fortify. He so loves each of us that He suffered His perfect, sinless, absolutely obedient, totally righteous Son to experience indescribable agony and pain and give Himself in sacrifice for all.

"My desire is that the counsel that has been shared will not only benefit you who graduate, but all who have been or will be influenced by this exceptional university," Elder Scott said.

He also pointed out that as graduates of a Church university, "what we expect of you are future accomplishments far beyond those asked of a graduating class elsewhere."

The previous evening, Elder Scott participated in a banquet honoring an international businessman and his wife, Gene and Allison Yamagata, who live in Las Vegas, Nev., for their exceptional generosity in funding BYU-Hawaii's unique international student internship program for the past several years. He expressed the gratitude of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve to Brother and Sister Yamagata. "What you're doing has blessed so many, many lives," he said, comparing their annual $300,000 contributions to "just the beginning of putting yeast in the loaf, which will expand. There will be many, many people blessed because of what you're doing."

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