By special invitation, 23 administrators, staff and students representing BYU-Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center participated in the 12th annual Western Family Picnic at the Marriott Ranch in Hume, Virginia.
The ranch, owned by Richard Marriott of the Marriott hotel conglomerate, hosted over 200 guests, including world ambassadors, diplomats, and members of the U.S. Congress.
The event was sponsored by the International and Government Affairs Office for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offering an opportunity for hundreds of dignitaries around the world to come together and learn more about the Church.
Members of the BYU-Hawaii university relations team, along with five students from Mongolia, China, South Korea and the Philippines, had the chance to greet and mingle with the many special guests were who were present at the ranch¿¿¿including ambassadors and diplomats from each of those countries.
"It was a great experience to meet and shake the hands of leaders of nations and feel of their influence and their capacity to serve," said Jonathan Briones from the Philippines, who is a BYU-Hawaii alumnus and currently a full-time employee at the PCC. "It was an honor to represent BYU-Hawaii, the PCC and above all, the church, to be able share with the world our sincere desire to serve our fellowmen through our testimonies, talents, and gifts from God."
Kyuhyun Cho, a senior from South Korea majoring in health and wellness, was equally excited about meeting the ambassador of his home country.
"It was great to meet the ambassador from South Korea and share our experiences at BYU-Hawaii," Cho said. "He was very positive about our school and is considering our invitation to our campus next year."
Another student from Mongolia, Anand Sanjaa, stated that their goal of establishing relationships with the dignitaries and leaving a positive view of the church was achieved.
Marriott, who is a member of the LDS Church, featured a western theme with entertainment, food, and dress and additional entertainment provided by the PCC promotional team. Also present at the gathering were church organizations such as LDS humanitarian services, LDS family history services and the Mormon Pioneer history group.
In addition to the Marriott event, the PCC promo team performed for BYU-Hawaii alumni, and for over 1600 members of the church and their guests in two different shows the night before at the LDS Washington D.C. temple visitors center.
Several BYU-Hawaii alumni had organized a luau at a nearby stake center in Potomac, Md. Nearly 400 alumni, friends and non-members came together to enjoy entertainment from the PCC promo team and an authentic Hawaiian style luau.
"We had two main goals in going to Washington D.C.," said V. Napua Baker, BYU-Hawaii VP of University Advancement. "The first was to friendship, cultivate, and nurture relationships, lift awareness, and gain greater support. The second was to show how the church contributes to the world through BYU-Hawaii and the PCC. All of this took place, so (the trip) was a great success."
Richard Marriott said that BYU-Hawaii and the PCC brought much to this year's event in spirit, performance, hosting and friendshipping. It is the first year that the two institutions have participated in the annual event.
Baker explained that they were "really able to show the strong partnership between BYU-Hawaii and the PCC, and share the aloha sprit."