Thousands gathered in the campus of BYU–Hawaii on Thursday, January 20, 2011, to hear from Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who stopped in Hawaii as part of his visit to the Pacific Area of the Church.
Elder Bednar is currently touring the Pacific Area with Bishop Richard C. Edgley, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, Elder Tad R. Callister of the Seventy and president of the Pacific Area, and Taniela B. Wakolo, an Area Seventy in the Pacific Area.
Although Hawaii is not a part of the Pacific Area, many of the people living in Hawaii are from the various countries of the Pacific; in particular at BYU–Hawaii, where the student body represents over 70 countries. Elder Bednar took time to meet with many of the students from the countries he has visited, and had a luncheon with approximately 30 students from these countries. While he had a special interest in the students from that area, his message struck a chord with all who attended his devotional.
Addressing the crowd made up of BYU–Hawaii students, faculty, and community members, Elder Bednar said his purpose was to “discuss the essential connection between personal testimony and ongoing conversion.”
Elder Bednar said that having a strong testimony is a “good, an important, and a necessary thing,” but that “conversion is deepening devotion to and consistent application of the knowledge we have received.” He continued with his counsel that “a testimony alone is not and will not be enough to protect us in the latter-day storm of darkness and evil in which we are living. A testimony is both important and necessary, but it is not sufficient to provide the spiritual strength and protection we need.”
Elder Bednar continued with a blessing and a promise that "as we come to a knowledge of the truth and are converted to the Lord, we will never fall away."
Photo by Monique Saenz