"I have tried to sculpt this talk with words, and it hasn't been easy; I wish it could be done in clay instead," BYU-Hawaii sculpture professor Viliami told the audience at the May 12 devotional in introducing his speech, "I have dreamed a dream."
Toluta'u, a BYU-Hawaii alumnus from Tonga who earned a master's degree in sculpture from BYU and is the only one of 13 siblings to graduate from high school, said along the way he was inspired by great men such as Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous "I have a dream" speech. He also cited Father Lehi, who told his family, "I have dreamed a dream," as the basis for obeying the Lord's commandment to leave Jerusalem and take his family into the wilderness.
"The sons reacted differently to their father's dream. To Laman and Lemuel, it was another one of their father's imaginary dreams as a visionary man, whereas to Nephi, it was inspiration from the Lord," Toluta'u said, pointing out that Nephi on his own previously had "... great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers (1 Nephi 2:16)."
"Laman and Lemuel did not...have a dream, and secondly, they didn't seek the Lord for themselves to see whether their father was inspired of God. It looks like they totally relied on their own logic and reasoning. As a result, without the prompting of the Spirit, they murmured and received their father's message half-heartedly."
Toluta'u compared the process of seeking wisdom through such dreams to a five-story house, the bottom floor being "where you dream and ponder." Above it is a "private room, where you share your dream with the Lord. Above that is "an executive room, where you seek advice from those you respect: Your parents, spouse, bishop and your teachers." Then a "family room, where you share your dreams with others in the family; and a "heat room [which] represents the world where you face the challenge of living your dream."
"Only when we follow this pattern and visit each room can we fulfill our dreams," Toluta'u said. He noted, for example, that Laman and Lemuel didn't spend time in the dream room or the private room. "They didn't have the humility to drop on their knees and seek the Lord and His spirit."
In the "executive room" they received their father's words half-heartedly and in the "family room" they began to murmur. Faced with the "heat" of the challenge to recover the Brass Plates, they got discouraged and were "ready to give up and go home."
Toluta'u emphasized that this well-known Book of Mormon story reinforces the idea that "we must find space to dream. When God gave us our free agency, it included the right to dream. God expects you to have joy and to progress life. For that reason, you have to dream to fully recognize your potential and talents."
"As adults, we cease to dream as we did when we were kids. We used to dream dreams. Some of them were wild, silly, unreasonable, and strange. They brought tears and laughter to your parents. Some of them were not very encouraging, yet your parents were probably understanding and sought the Lord for his guidance in accepting those dreams."
"As a teacher, I hope students will always dream and remember their dreams. Conventionally, teachers look upon students as empty cups. It is sad to say that students also tend to believe and accept that concept as a reality. They likely come to class with that attitude. However, you are not an empty cup," Toluta'u continued. "God has blessed you with dreams in order to fully enjoy life."
"Our role as teachers and parents is to see how much we can extract from our students' gifts and talents, rather than try to fill them up with our own dreams. Parents and teachers should allow space for students to dream."
Toluta'u encouraged the devotional audience to "take your dreams to the Lord, share what is in your heart. The Lord is not pleased when you say things that are different from your heart. When you pray, do it with humility of heart. We usually try to pray until the Lord can hear our voice. Instead, pray with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, until you can hear the voice of the Lord."
"When you leave from this campus," he continued, "your dreams are only dreams unless you commit yourself to them. The Lord has promised many blessings for those who are diligent and determined to face the challenges and trials of life. Your dreams won't become a reality without work."
Toluta'u said, for example, that his sculpture of George Q. Cannon and Jonathan Napela has inspired him to do something similar for his Tongan people. "I have been sweating for the past five years, navigating this dream. I have been searching the history of my roots, from mission records and journals of those American missionaries who have served in Tonga since Elder Brigham Smoot and Alva John Butler in 1891."
"I would like to thank BYU-Hawaii for allowing me the opportunity to fulfill my dreams. I'm grateful to David O. McKay for his dreams; to the administration, teachers, and staff for perpetuating and working hard to fulfill David O. McKay's vision; to the babor missionaries, thank you for being in the heat to fulfill the dream. We are blessed because of your willingness to serve faithfully."
"I would like to thank my wife for all her support. Without her I cannot fulfill my dreams," he continued. "To my children, thank you for the different dimension that you contributed to my dreams."
"Lastly, I thank God for allowing the Gospel to be restored in this dispensation. I appreciate the young man, Joseph Smith, for sharing his ambition in humility with the Lord; to our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, for His love and sacrifice of Atonement so that we may have joy in time and in eternity; and to Heavenly Father for His plan of Happiness — our fondest dream."
[Following the devotional, Professor Toluta'u and several others draped the Cannon-Napela statue by the Cannon Activities Center with leis as part of BYU-Hawaii's 50th anniversary Golden Jubilee celebration.]