When I met with Than Lim [pictured at left] the first thing he said to me was, "I don't think I have an interesting story."
I had heard that before, and was not convinced. Throughout our conversation, I learned why Than does indeed have an interesting story: He is a man with a mission, a mission to give his family the life he knows they deserve.
As Than grew up in a small poverty ridden town in the country of Cambodia, he witnessed excessive hunger and unimaginable living conditions. "There was a time when there was a really bad drought and people died because there was not enough food and it was too expensive. Today people build their houses out of coconut trees."
Being exposed to this life style gave Than an extraordinary desire to pursue an education in hopes of breaking his family's tradition of crippling cycle of poverty.
When Than was a little boy, he watched his older siblings struggle in fulfilling their education. "They attended school until they got to high school. The high school was too far away from my house to walk there. My family could not afford a bike and so they had to stop," he said.
Than successfully made it through his first years of school, but when the time came to attend high school, he had to make a tough choice. "I had to decide to leave my family for a while and go to high school in the city. It was hard for me to leave because I helped them a lot on their farm, but I knew that I had to get more education if ever wanted to really help them."
At 14, Than moved to the city to attend high school. During his junior year, his friend told him about a special class that was being offered, however it was not a class provided through the high school. "My friend told me that a church was giving free English lessons. I was really curious about it. I wanted to learn English, so I went," he said.
To Than's surprise, the teachers turned out to be a missionary couple from America. Shortly he discovered his curiosity and enthusiasm spread to learning what his missionary teachers believed. "The missionary couple was so nice, I knew there was something special about them. I wanted to learn more about their church."
"I took the discussions and felt a lot of love. It was something different to me, but I liked it. I wanted to be baptized," said Than, who was 19 when he became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "One thing that I really liked about the Church was that it encouraged me to keep seeking an education."
With a newly attained high school diploma in his hand, Than knew that if he really wanted to make a difference for his family and for himself, he was going to have to keep studying. He began attending a university in Cambodia, however his interest was immediately sparked when he learned about BYU-Hawaii.
"The missionaries told me about BYU-Hawaii and that I should apply there. I thought that it would be really good to go to a Church school. The missionaries helped me apply and I was accepted right away."
Than knew that the campus of BYU-Hawaii was located in Laie, the more rural area of the island and was expecting the country. To his surprise, the country he was expecting was, to him, not country at all. "Compared to Cambodia, this is not the country. In Cambodia you would never find paved roads or such nice buildings."
Since his arrival in Laie, Than has excelled in his academics. His current roommate, Joe Beck has taken special awareness to Than's unusual work ethic. "Every single time I look over at him, he's working hard on his homework. He is one of the most disciplined people I have ever seen," he said.
Than knows that he has to work hard in order to attain his ultimate goal, lifting his family out of poverty. "If I could provide the opportunity for my family's upcoming generation to get an education, then I will have been successful," he responded.
For now, Than is thoroughly enjoying his experience as a BYU-Hawaii student. He is a junior majoring in Information Systems.
Being the only Latter-day Saint in his family with the opportunity to pursue an education has given him the special key he needs to fulfill his dreams. "Through my education I want to help them [his family] be able to enjoy life. I want them to not have to worry about things like where they will get their food and water. When they don't have to worry about these simple things, they will really be able to live."
Than has, indeed, lived through incredible experiences and been persistent in his own success. As his life unfolds, it will continue to be nothing shy of "interesting."
— Photo by Megan Smith