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Using our Light to Guide Others

Arnold K. Wunder, president of the Kahului Stake on Maui, used the imagery from the hymn "Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy " (number 335) and examples from his own life to encourage students to be better "lower lights".

President Wunder told the background of the hymn through a story from the life of Philip Bliss, the hymn’s composer. The idea for the hymn came from a sermon given by his traveling companion, Pastor D.L. Moody, which told the story of a ship struggling to reach the safety of the Cleveland Harbor, using a lighthouse and two smaller lights at the base of the lighthouse, called lower lights. 

"The harbor pilots would use those three lights to guide their way and to guide the ships into the harbor," told President Wunder.  The story ended with one particular ship that attempted to reach the harbor when the lower lights could not be seen, and it crashed on some rocks before reaching the channel. 

Pastor Moody taught, "The Master will take care of the great lighthouse, let us keep the lower lights burning."

According to President Wunder, the way that we shape our lives and the choices we make allow us to "trim our lamps" to make them effective lower lights, so we can help guide those around us to the safety of the gospel. 

Wunder’s words struck a chord with some students, who wanted to make changes to better care for their lamps. "I could definitely up my activity in the church, like my Sabbath day observance," said Brett Evans, a freshman majoring in international cultural studies from Colorado.

 "It was really good. I liked how he was personal, like he really did care about the students at BYUH.  Using his experiences, he encouraged us not to make the same mistakes he had made," said Rachel McKee, an exercise science major.

President Wunder provided a snapshot of his own life. He was baptized when he was eight and consistently attended church with his grandmother. However, he decided to stop attending church at age 15.  He went to college and married before he had contact with the Church again. 

It was this contact after so many years that solidified his activity in the Church. One night, Brother Vance Akinaka, a member in the local ward brought Elder Larsen, one of the missionaries, to visit the Wunder family.  Sister Wunder, who was not a member of the Church, enjoyed the visit, and started taking the lessons.  Their first visit to church as a family, a fast Sunday, helped him to recognize the Spirit for the first time, he said, and he knew he needed to be active in the Church.  Sister Wunder, after taking the missionary lessons and reading the entire Book of Mormon, wanted to be baptized.

"On June 6, 1982 Colleen was baptized.  On July 27, 1983, our family came to the Laie Temple and we were sealed for time and all eternity and the gospel has been a major part of our lives ever since," shared President Wunder.  He added that all three of their sons served successful missions and all four of their children, Ray, Kelii, Kevin and Becky, are now married in the temple, after attending BYU in either Provo or Hawaii. 

President Wunder also shared a picture [at right] and a special story of Church connections.

Kevin, the youngest of the Wunder boys, was called to serve in the California Oakland Mission.  "In his greenie area, he met and taught a young man, Ryan Mourelatos," said President Wunder.  "Kevin was soon transferred to the Pleasanton 3rd Ward, and the bishop of the Pleasanton 3rd Ward was Bishop Paul Larsen, the very man who served a mission in Hawaii 20 years before and had knocked on our door."

Ryan Mourelatos was baptized and eventually called to serve a full-time mission in the Salt Lake City. The picture shared by President Wunder shows (from left to right) Bishop Paul Larsen, Sister Colleen Wunder, his daughter-in-law Celena, Kevin, and Elder Mourelatos, who received special permission to attend the sealing, in front of the Salt Lake Temple.

President Wunder shared how proud he is of his children because they are great examples of the gospel, and he also expressed his love and respect for students. "If I was 21 years old today, I don’t know if I could stand up to the temptations of our day and I want to commend those of you young adults who live your lives in such a way to keep to the covenants you have made with the Lord, who live the honor code of your university. It takes a lot of strength to do that.  We are very proud of you."

"The truths and values we embrace are mocked at every hand. The Lord has established a Law of Chastity, a law of morality, but yet society mocks that on a daily and ongoing basis."

He closed his address with a blessing and some suggestions. "It is my prayer that each of us might live our lives in such a way that our spiritual lamps might be trimmed, that our lights might shine brightly, that we might keep the lower light burning and welcome people to the Church, that we reach out to our friends and relatives who are not members of the Church, that we reach out to those who are less active and may be struggling…that we might help them find their way home to the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

-Photo by Monique Saenz

:: For a complete transcript of President Wunder's devotional...  

:: View video clips of President Wunder's devotional address...