President Matthew S. Holland, BYU-Hawaii Devotional, April 5, 2016

“Finally, I have a waʻa kaulua. This was gifted to me by one of my Hawaiian students. In fact, she was my intern, and an outstanding one at that. She explained to me that this traditional, double-hulled canoe is a symbol of many things. It is a symbol of connectivity, overcoming the great divide of our globe: ocean and land. It is a symbol of faith, requiring its passengers to push out into an uncertain and often turbulent sea, controlling what they could control, trusting the rest to higher powers of mercy.

“Most memorable to me, though, was her explanation that is a symbol of what I will call the “bountiful return.” Rarely if ever were these canoes used for journeys that would take its passengers to far-flung locations as a final destination. Rather, they were almost always used to take islanders out temporarily to gather food, forge alliances, or collect information, and then return to their home island to distribute these resources of sustenance, safety, and knowledge to their family, friends, and fellow villagers. The process of going out, gathering, and returning with bounty was repeated regularly in the life of the wa’a.   

“The reason I keep this on my credenza, out of the many tokens that find their way to my office, is that, for me, this issue of the “bountiful return” is very much in line with the spirit of education. We leave hearth and home to take a class, earn a certificate, or graduate with a degree, then, with that newly-found knowledge, we return to our families, our jobs, our countries, much better able to make a productive contribution to those people and projects around us that matter the most….

“If you are feeling broken down and beaten this morning by a debilitating disease or death of someone close, a grievous sin or gross injustice, a case of bad judgment or an unexpected rejection by the love of your life, or any one of a host of things agonizing or tragic, do not despair! No matter what has happened to you, hold on! In fact, be of good cheer, for this thing will work for your good, as “all things” do for those who love the Lord. The Lord has declared, “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction”[20]. Yet, the same Lord who may occasionally subject you to the refiner’s fire is the same Lord who will pull you through on the other end, strengthened, purified, beautified, and joyful, deeply, supremely, and eternally joyful.

“As George Q. Cannon, who dedicated the Provo Tabernacle, and whose namesake is on this building we sit in today, once put it:

‘“Our God can be trusted to the very uttermost. No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, He will never desert us. He never has, he never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character. He is an unchangeable being; the same yesterday, the same today, and he will be the same throughout the ages to come… We may pass through the fiery furnace; we may pass through deep waters; but we shall not be consumed nor overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trials and difficulties the better and purer for them, if we only trust in our God and keep his commandments”’.