Honesty, education, truth, and missionary work were a just a few of the topics addressed by BYU-Hawaii education professor Dr. Hiagi Wesley during his devotional address October 7. He told the students by putting God and the Church first in their lives they would “be following a more excellent way.”
Dr. Wesley, a convert to the LDS Church originally from Rotuma, opened his address by encouraging the students to follow a more excellent way, and he said, “To ensure that we can be partakers of that gift, the Savior declared: Come, follow me! To truly acquire a more excellent way, we must be willing to follow line upon line, precept upon precept and live by every word which proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.”
Born on Rotuma and orphaned at an early age, Dr. Wesley explained that he came into contact with the missionaries while he was attending school in Fiji. His sister was married in an LDS chapel, and it was there that the missionaries arranged to teach the young Wesley. At first, he was a tough convert: “In the first discussion, they introduced the Godhead,” said Dr. Wesley. “They then told the story of the prophet Joseph Smith and the First Vision… Although the two elders were very sincere, I did not believe them. I laughed at them. I told them that such things only happened during the Savior’s time in Jerusalem.”
Eventually his heart was softened, and Dr. Wesley decided to be baptized. But his family was not happy about it. “After my baptism, my family found out. I was given a choice: Leave the Church and return home… if not, I would be sent back to my island of Rotuma.” He decided to leave his family’s home, but he was able to attend Liahona High School in Tonga.
He then shared the story of a young Korean who faced ostracizing from his family, friends and the possible loss of his military standing. This young Korean’s comment to President Hinckley was, “If the Gospel is true, then what else matters…” Dr. Wesley added, “You see, just like the young Korean, each one of us who has forsaken mother, father, brother and sister, for the sake of the Gospel have made the decision to Follow a More Excellent Way.”
After graduating high school, and after a short period of indecisiveness, Dr. Wesley became a missionary in Fiji. After sharing some of his mission success stories, Dr. Wesley said, “My mission has blessed me. I experienced the joy that the Lord promised in bringing souls unto him.”
He also shared a quote from President Ezra Taft Benson: “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place… Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities… May God bless us to put [him] first and, as a result, reap peace in this life and eternal life with a fullness of joy in the life to come.”
Dr. Wesley then counseled the students from Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “To thine own self be true,” and added his own counsel, “When we are true to ourselves, we’re honest in all things, and in all places, and at all times. We put forth our best efforts, whether we’re at school or at work or with our callings in the Lord’s Church.”
Acknowledging the difficulty many of the international students have with returning to their home countries, when situations at home may seem less than ideal, Dr. Wesley offered some advice: “The real test of our uprightness is when we’re faced with tough decisions. Whether it is the Honor Code or keeping the Law of Tithing or living up to our commitment to return to one’s home country to build the Kingdom, it is part of being true to thine own self. I believe returning to our home countries is a matter of faith. We need to follow the counsel of the Lord when he said: Trust in the Lord and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Gaining an education is also an important decision when trying to “follow a more excellent way,” said Dr. Wesley. “Be assured that the Lord expects us to be educated. When deciding what type of an education to receive and what to learn, Dr. Wesley admonished the use of D & C 88:76-80, part of which counsels us to know “of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass…”
Notable men such as President Hinckley, Elder Russell M. Nelson and Elder Neal A. Maxwell have also had much to say on the subject of education, and Dr. Wesley shared some of their words. Elder Nelson said, “because of our sacred regard for each human intellect, we consider the obtaining of an education to be a religious responsibility.”
Dr. Wesley then tied education to the idea of being true to one’s self: “Whether we choose to attend or miss classes is our own choice. Whether we follow through and complete the assignment or become slothful, it is a matter of being true to ourselves and our commitment to gaining an education.”
“When you choose to follow a More Excellent way, you will choose the right. You will make the decision to be at the right place, at the right time. You will learn to be a wise steward with your time and discipline yourself. When it is time to study, you will study. When it is time to work, you will work, when it is time for the beach, you will enjoy yourself. When you stretch your mental capabilities, you will discover the joys of learning. When you experienced spiritual stretching, you will grow in the Gospel, just like when you experienced physical pain, you gain strength and muscles.”
“Pres. Benson declared: We must prove everyday of our lives that we are willing to do the will of the Lord. Pres. Hunter said: Ultimately, what our Father in Heaven will require of us is more than a contribution, it is a total commitment, a complete devotion, all that we are and all that we can be.”
“In the context of why we’re here at this setting, our education, training and a heart given to the Lord will enable us to fulfill the second commandment: Love thy neighbor as thyself. When we experience mental calisthenics through the application of studying and learning, and with the appropriate dispositions, we will be in a position to fulfill the challenge in front of our campus: Go forth to serve.
“Our lives will then be a testimony of knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ –the eternal gift which Heavenly Father sent us. We are then Following a More Excellent Way.”
-Photo by Monique Saenz