The director of Hawaiian Studies at BYU-Hawaii used the experience and images of building, preparing and sailing the program's traditional double-hulled canoe, Iosepa, as a metaphor for safely undertaking the voyage through life during the Nov. 6 campus devotional.
William Kaua'iwiulaokalani Wallace III, Director and Associate Professor of BYU-Hawaii's Jonathan Napela Center for Hawaiian Language & Cultural Studies who everybody calls "Uncle Bill," told the large devotional audience in the Cannon Activities Center that a recent training experience on rough waters reminded him of the hymn refrain: Master the tempest is raging.
"How often are we caught in the storms of life and its many battles that we forget to look to the 'lower lights' that are burning to find our way safely home?" Wallace asked. "We were all there prior to this voyage of life in the Spirit World with our Heavenly father and our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ."
"Our life here upon this earth is indeed a voyage, and we are all traveling upon the sacred wa'a or canoe," he said. "All of our decisions in life will determine how well our journey will be and whether or not we make it safely to our final destination."
Wallace explained that as he thinks of the spirit of Iosepa, he is reminded that God created all things "spiritually, before they were on the face of the earth. Our ancestors knew this truth. I cannot help but give thanks to our kupuna or ancestors who treated all things within their island environment with love and deep respect, for they knew and understood the proper kuleana or responsibility and relationship that we as human beings had been given by the Lord over all these things."
He added that the spirit of the canoe also reflects the generosity of the people of Fiji, who years before had crafted a traditional camakau sailing canoe which they presented to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Then, more recently, the people of Fiji gave permission to export the seven large tropical hardwood logs used to create the Iosepa.
"The spirit of the canoe is real, and it is the culmination of everyone and everything that had contact with it," Wallace said.
He praised the carvers, artisans, students, church leaders and community residents who came together to create a "vessel of curious workmanship, a symbol connecting the past with the present, a token of love from our ancestors, a gift for future generations, a testament of faith and vision of where we came from, who we are, why we were preserved on these isles of the sea, and a declaration that we are, indeed, counted in the fold of the Good Shepherd."
Wallace also went on to compare the voice of the canoe to the Good Shepherd. "The voice of the Good Shepherd anchors us and keeps our canoe moving in the right direction. Our ancestors heard His voice, and it is time for us to not only hear His voice but to hearken to His words and to become more like Him."
He explained that a great deal of preparation is required before the Iosepa can sail. "The journey to the water's edge is difficult. It is sometimes easier for us to cancel the launch and postpone the sail; but we must have faith. We must push on, for the voyage of life must continue."
Having set sail, Wallace pointed out he derives a sense of security from knowing that "great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea. Though the winds may blow and the waters may come crashing down upon you, you must never let go of the safety line, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must hold on, we must be strong, and we must endure."
"Like our voyage in life, with all secure on deck the voyage can be made successfully," Wallace added. "Even with rising seas and gusting winds the canoe, once secured, will make its way across the sea and will arrive safely at its final destination. He warned that the canoe's crew must "always be watchful, be united, and be steadfast in the truth."
"The skills to maintain a canoe must be practiced both in and out of the water. It is much like life, for we must continue to learn new things and refine those things that we already know."
Wallace compared this preparation, care, and the spirit and voice of Iosepa, to the Book of Mormon prophet Moroni's great dissertation on attaining faith, hope and finally charity:
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all they energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen" [Moroni 7:48]
"I testify that the spirit of the canoe leads us and our ancestors closer to the House of the Lord," Wallace said. "And when our journey has ended, may we find safe passage back home, united again with our families forever."