At 8 am on Tuesday, October 7, BYU–Hawaii students gathered in the Cannon Activities Center (CAC) to watch the worldwide livestream of President Russell M. Nelson’s funeral from Salt Lake City in the Conference Center.
President Nelson, the 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Church’s longest-living president, died September 27, 2025, at age 101. His ministry had deep ties to Laie: in April 2018, he concluded his global ministry tour on the BYU–Hawaii campus, and he previously addressed graduates at BYU–Hawaii’s April 2011 commencement.
Students said his teachings felt personal and steadying.
“When I think of President Nelson as a prophet and leader, I think first of his example as a true disciple of Jesus Christ,” said Sodanin Prak, a junior from Cambodia majoring in business management with an emphasis in finance and marketing. “His invitation to read the Book of Mormon daily really changed me. As I followed it, I felt more power to choose wisely, and I saw miracles.”
Sekona Langa Ki ‘Itaniti Mo’unga, a junior from Tonga majoring in accounting, said hearing President Nelson felt “like a direct message from my Heavenly Father in a noisy world. His counsel to seek personal revelation reshaped how I pray and listen.” It anchored my faith when fear tried to steal my footing.” He added that one promise continues to guide him: “Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple… You will find answers to your most vexing questions.”
For Gesyria Chris Ababa, a junior from the Philippines studying elementary education, President Nelson’s “quiet urgency” to return to the covenant path reshaped daily life at BYU–Hawaii. “With the Laie Hawaii Temple across the street, his reminder that time in the temple changes us has drawn me there often,” Ababa said. “Another line I hold onto is, ‘The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.’ In busy, stressful semesters, that focus on Christ has been an anchor.”
Ash Ghiya, a senior from California in hospitality and tourism management, called President Nelson “a disciple-leader who balanced love and law.” “He taught me to build confidence in God and keep moving forward when the world is tired and troubled,” Ghiya said. “I think about his counsel that we don’t need to agree or even look alike to love one another.”
Serving as the prophet since 2018, President Nelson emphasized hearing the Savior, using the full name of the Church, and making homes “true sanctuaries of faith.” He issued the global #HearHim invitation to seek personal revelation. He also presided over a historic temple era—announcing 200 new temple locations worldwide—and championed home-centered, Church-supported worship adjustments.
Those themes resonated strongly on this campus, students said, where proximity to the Laie Hawaii Temple and an international student body mirror the global ministry he modeled.
In the CAC on Tuesday morning, students bowed heads in prayer and stood with classmates from dozens of nations—remembering a prophet who often spoke of covenant belonging and joy. As they filed out after the broadcast, many said the best tribute is simple: live what he taught. “Even the smallest step toward God echoes into eternity,” Mo’unga said. “That’s what I want to keep doing.”
