BYU-Idaho for edification
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"There aren't many small decisions in the life of a person," said President Thomas S. Monson. "Every decision you make will have an influence upon what you become, what you really are and what your potential beyond yourself can be."
President Monson made that declaration in an address at BYU-Idaho's President's Club Banquet, which was held in Salt Lake City on March 15 for supporters of the university who live outside Idaho. While many at the banquet live in Utah, some came from Arizona, Nevada, California and other states.
The Church leader's remarks followed an address by BYU-Idaho President Kim B. Clark, and a presentation on the school's Heber J. Grant Scholarship Program, which helps students with disadvantages achieve their goals. The presentation was made by eight students who serve on the scholarship program's council.
In his remarks, President Monson commented on the importance of reaching out to others. "You don't search for blessings," he said. "You find them as you search for opportunities to help another person."
President Monson said the Church and university are fortunate to have President Clark, who also is an Area Seventy, at the school's helm. "He has brought a wealth of experience from his former role as dean of the faculty at Harvard Business School. He and his dear wife, Sue, are choice Latter-day Saints, both brilliant in mind and yet down to earth in their friendly attitude. Their goal is to serve the Lord and to fulfill in their service the prayers of parents and the ideals that God would have each young person pursue. They are accomplishing a remarkable work."
President Monson highlighted some of the school's history, noting that it began as a stake academy in 1888 under the direction of Elder Lorenzo Snow of the Quorum of the Twelve. "Today, 120 years later, that early academy has evolved into the modern, four-year university, with its magnificent campus and buildings that we find in Rexburg. There we find the echoes of the past, the opportunities of the present and the brightness of the future.
"The administration and faculty members at BYU-Idaho light the lamp of learning, that the students will better understand their earthly mission. Through their spirit, their faith and their love, they are blessing generations yet unborn. Their opportunities are not dissimilar to the Master Teacher — even Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Henry Brooks Adams once declared: 'A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.'
"The students who attend BYU-Idaho do so not only for academic learning, but also for religious edification. They want to obtain their education in an atmosphere which reflects the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their desire is to associate with those of similar beliefs and value systems. They also find there a legacy of dedicated service and faithful perseverance. In this often challenging and sometimes discouraging world in which we live, what a unique opportunity is theirs.
"As Chairman of the BYU-Idaho Board of Trustees, I want you to know how proud we are of this fine university — the administration, the faculty, the student body. We're committed to its continuing mission as a refuge of righteousness in the academic world, as well as in the lives of Latter-day Saints from around the world."
President Monson said that his comments had been "formal." Then he said, "From my heart, I want you to know that God knows who you are, and Jesus Christ, His Son, also knows who you are. Are you and I ready to pursue the errands on which the Father and Son have sent us?"
The opportunity to fulfill those errands "can come when you least expect it," he added. "It can come in a fashion where you don't really know until a later time that the Lord heard a prayer and determined that you were the one who could answer it."
By way of illustration, he shared what he described as "a heartbreak in my life." He said that when he was a bishop, a less-active man, a military veteran, moved into his ward and sent word that he was ill and would like a blessing. President Monson said that on that particular evening, he had two meetings. One was a priesthood leadership meeting at which a roll call was to be taken.
"I had never been more uncomfortable in my life than during that first meeting where I had to give an accounting of who should be there from our ward and who was there. Then I turned to my counselors and said, 'I'm leaving.' I then drove to the Veterans Hospital....When I got out of the elevator and went down the corridor toward this man's room, there was a group of people outside his door. When I came to the doorway, one of them said, 'Are you Bishop Monson?' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Brother Brown spoke your name just as he died.'
"I think that lesson was good for me. I learned never, ever, delay a prompting. When you receive it, act upon it, and you will find that you have answered another person's prayer. The Lord will use you in a variety of ways; it matters little what our talents are."
To the BYU-Idaho students at the banquet, President Monson said, "These are learning years. It's a time to open your ears and open your hearts and listen, absorb — for every lesson you hear will have an application some time later in your life.
"Similarly, I love the philosophy of your president. He continues to read. He continues to learn. . . . I testify to you that in your president and his sweet eternal companion you have models to follow. Remember that. Models to follow. We become like the models we follow and, in turn, there will be others to follow you."
