This semester, BYU–Hawaii welcomed 434 new students to campus, and more than 230 of them walked to the Laie Hawaii Temple as part of the university’s new student onboarding program.
Brooke Peterson, marketing and communications director for BYU–Hawaii, explained that the temple is only 238 “President Kauwe steps” — referencing school President John S.K. Kauwe III — from the edge of the university’s campus.
The temple trip, held on the second day of onboarding, allowed students to participate in baptismal, initiatory, endowment and sealing ordinances. Because of the large turnout, students who were unable to participate in temple ordinances visited the Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors’ Center for a spiritual program.
‘It definitely has set a tone’
For Moroni Stephens, a freshman history major who grew up on the Big Island, the temple visit was a defining start to his college experience.
“Whenever you’re a student, you get like this rush, rush, rush — you’ve got classes, classes, classes, work stuff. It’s just like, you’re rushing all the time,” he said. “But then when you get to the temple, and you don’t have to rush anymore. You sit there, you feel the Spirit, and you can just bask in the Lord’s presence in the temple. And everything just kind of slows down.”
He acknowledged that the logistics were challenging, with hundreds of students arriving together. “I just remember it being really chaotic. But at the same time, it was a really positive experience, because you saw these people coming out of the temple, and there were just smiles on their faces.”
‘The Spirit was there, the vibe was really there’
Timothy Putra Samad, a senior from Jakarta, Indonesia, and one of the student managers for the onboarding program, said the temple day stood out from the week of onboarding activities.
“My personal favorite was the temple,” he said, adding, “To be able to see that many people from different countries to come at a temple, to do ordinances together, to set the tone that you come here for school, but you also come here for spiritual matters — like building yourself — I think that was my favorite thing, to see that temple was full, the Spirit was there, the vibe was really there.”
Building community
Stephens encourages students and members to not take campus and Church communities for granted.
“Be involved in the community of the Church because it’s a pretty fantastic community,” he said. “People are always there to support you, always there to have your back. And I would just say, be proactive in participating in this community.”
Samad added his testimony of BYU–Hawaii’s prophetic mission and the community he has found there.
“BYU–Hawaii is a very sacred place. I think it’s a place of gathering. It’s a place of learning and a place where people can come and we can be excellent. … BYU–Hawaii is a place where we can build communities and build families,“ he said, adding, “We’re really united by the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I think as I study in school and go and visit the temple regularly, I make better decisions every day.”
