As their leadership over BYU-Hawaii Student Activities comes to an end, William “Kaj” Kellgreen, President, and Cassandra Fa’amuli, Executive Vice President, addressed the students at the weekly devotional on June 17 and encouraged them to “be anxiously engaged in a good a cause.”
Kellgreen and Fa’amuli, who assumed office June 25, 2007, both spoke about the positive experiences they had in their respective leadership roles and the impact many of the student volunteers have had on their lives. Fa’amuli, introduced by Ryan Martz, BYUHSA Vice President of the Student Advisory Council, was the first to speak.
She reminded students of their responsibility to be active, not only in schoolwork but in service and other good activities. She said, “The Lord has told us that men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness. And He added these significant words: For the power is in them… [Doctrine and Covenants 57:27-28] This quotation refers to all women and men. Each of us has the power to do good. We have the power to do significant acts of service on our own if we will become anxiously engaged.”
When Kellgreen first approached her to join him in the race for BYUHSA positions, Fa’amuli said she had feelings of doubt and uncertainty. She didn’t feel qualified for the position, or capable of such duties. In response to this, she reminded students of the story of the 2,000 Stripling Warriors from the Book of Mormon, and their bravery. Quoting President Thomas S. Monson she said, “Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God's approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully, but also as a determination to live decently. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh. Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well.” To this, she added her own encouragement: “Heavenly Father does not place doubt and fear in us. We must look to Him with faith just as Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors did, having no doubts in their hearts and armed with unwavering faith in God.”
Serving in the capacity of executive vice president helped Fa’amuli realize her own talent and potential as a leader, as well as the many great abilities of others on campus. “Over this past year as I have served in BYUHSA I have witnessed the growth and development of many individuals who have volunteered. There are several volunteers that have excelled beyond expectation and developed leadership skills and qualities. I have also been amazed with the amount of talent that is present at this university. I am constantly astonished with the richness and the variety of talent that this relatively small campus possesses. It extends further to the community in which we live in. We are surrounded by families of entertainers, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and so much more... May we never forget our worth and importance and be grateful for what we have,” she said.
Turning to President David O. McKay’s description of BYU-Hawaii students as “genuine gold,” she encouraged students to remember his vision. “What little things we do can greatly affect those around us and I pray that we engage in good causes and be worthy of the Spirit. If we do so, there is no reason why our influence won’t be felt for the good, or for the better. Let us remind one another of our divine roles and potential. I testify that these things are true. If we look out for one another, and encourage progression and improvement, we will become that genuine gold—we can be that vision.”
Kellgreen, who was introduced by Ogi Park, Vice President of Service and Learning, explained that he would address two topics: “Following the righteous desires of our hearts and to be anxiously engaged in a good cause.” One of his favorite scriptures, he said, is found in the section heading of Doctrine and Covenants 17, which states Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris were inspired to be the Three Witnesses mentioned in the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord, and Section 17 was his answer. “I find it interesting how the Lord did not command them to become the Three Witnesses, but instead He allowed them to follow the righteous desires of their hearts and initiate the process. As they followed through with their hearts’ desires, the Lord blessed them and they became an integral part of the history of the Book of Mormon,” said Kellgreen.
He also shared the story of King Mosiah and his righteous desire to be reunited with his brethren who went in search of the lost city of Zarahemla, as told in the Book of Mosiah. “By simply following his desire to know what became of his brethren, King Mosiah enabled these people to be led out of captivity and be brought to the light of the Gospel. Through the experience of King Mosiah and the Three Witnesses, we can see how following simple promptings led an entire civilization out of bondage and fulfilled Book of Mormon prophecy.”
Both those examples, Kellgreen taught, show how the Lord did not command these men, but “they simply followed through with the righteous desires of their hearts.” To this he added, “The Lord clearly states that He will not tell us everything that we must do. Instead, He tells us that we should be “anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things” on our own free will.” His advice to the students was, “Brothers and Sisters, be cautious before you pass up a good opportunity because you tell yourself you are too busy, you don’t belong, or you are already preoccupied with too many other things… By looking at the life of the Savior, we obtain the perfect example of what type of activities we should be anxiously engaged in.”
Like Fa’amuli, Kellgreen enjoyed many experiences working with the students of BYUH and the opportunity to watch many of them grow through service. His service started just with “a small desire to get involved somewhere,” he said. “During my time in BYUHSA, I have seen that same small desire grow in others. There have been numerous students who, led by that simple desire to do good, have gotten involved and accomplished great things. All of the activities and services that we have provided over this last year could not have happened without these student volunteers who sacrificed their time and personal interests to help out.”
“There have been numerous students who have helped out and blessed their lives and the lives of those around them. My life has been blessed as I have had the opportunity to work alongside these students. I have also been blessed by having had the opportunities to be a part of this BYUHSA team, and to work alongside each of the VPs that are here with us today. I have learned important lessons from each one of them, and I will be forever grateful for their examples and for their service.”
— Photo by Monique Saenz